An international law enforcement operation targeting illegal drug sales online resulted in the prosecution of a Waikoloa man and highlighted how dealers are using the internet to ship drugs to Hawaii users.
Operation RapTor resulted in the arrests of 270 dark web vendors, buyers, and administrators in Austria, Brazil, France, Germany, the Netherlands, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States.
The international law enforcement operation resulted in the seizure of more than $200 million in currency and digital assets, over 2 metric tons of drugs, 144 kilograms of fentanyl or fentanyl-laced narcotics, and over 180 firearms.
Hawaii was one of 26 states where federal prosecutors brought cases connected to the operation.
“The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Hawaii, in conjunction with our dedicated law enforcement partners, is committed to rooting out and shutting down the scourge of dangerous online black markets,” Acting U.S. Attorney Ken Sorenson told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser. “We routinely encounter drug traffickers using the darknet and encrypted applications to import deadly and highly addictive illicit controlled substances — including counterfeit M30 pills laced with fentanyl — into Hawaii.”
Darknet markets make it “perilously easy for anyone, even our keiki,” to obtain and consume potentially dangerous drugs without knowing their origin and true composition, putting lives at risk, Sorenson said.
“Those who operate darknet sites and profit by pushing illicit drugs into our local communities will remain a top law enforcement priority for this office,” he said.
Luka Kekoa Mossman, 29 at the time of his arrest, aka the “Hawaiian Pharmacy,” is charged with a single count of distribution of fentanyl, according to a federal criminal complaint filed in June 2023.
He was arrested in Honolulu with 250 “M30” pills, which tested positive for fentanyl; a loaded .380 Ruger pistol; and an Ohio driver’s license containing Mossman’s photograph but a fictitious name.
Mossman got a new attorney Feb. 25 and needs additional time beyond May 12, 2025, to prepare and confer with new counsel, and to have sufficient time to review case-related materials and his potential options.
His preliminary hearing in the case is scheduled for July 11, according to federal court records.
Mossman was indicted by a Hawaii grand jury in 2018 for allegedly threatening two men in April 2016 with a loaded AK-47 assault rifle.
He was indicted Jan. 22, 2018, with first-degree terroristic threatening and various firearm charges, according to state court records. His bail was set at $25,000 and a bench warrant was issued for his arrest in that case. No further action has happened in that case, according to the state Judiciary Information Management System.
Federal agents found Mossman’s alleged Telegram channel ‘Hawaiian Pharmacy’ which he allegedly used to distribute fentanyl, according to a criminal complaint.
Telegram is a cloud-based messaging application that allows users to send and access encrypted messages on multiple devices at once. According to the company’s website, Telegram counts more than 700 million monthly active users.
Telegram channels such as the one Mossman allegedly used allow broadcasting to unlimited audiences.
On the street in Hawaii, the “M30” fentanyl pills Mossman was allegedly selling online retail for between $2 and $3 a pill and between $3,000 and $3,500 a kilogram, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.
Drug trafficking organizations are marketing cocaine in Hawaii starting at $25,000 a kilogram and sell it as high as $30,000 a kilogram. Four ounces of crystal methamphetamine sells for about $700 an ounce and between $5,600 and $6,000 a kilogram.
Anthony Chrysanthis, deputy special agent in charge of the Drug Enforcement Los Angeles Field Division, which oversees Hawaii, told the Star-Advertiser that on a “daily basis, the DEA and law enforcement partners, at all levels, whether in our states or internationally, deal with clandestine dispensaries of illicit and dangerous substances; and they are growing by the minute.”
“Darknet vendors and drug syndicates are pouring large quantities of harmful substances into the island and other U.S. communities. Almost any type of drug is accessible to buyers with just a few clicks. This poses a significant threat to the health and security of our citizens,” Chrysanthis said. “This is why our agents, intelligence analysts, and specialized personnel work around the clock to target and intercept these darknet syndicates. They have become a growing priority for us, on the island and throughout our Division.”
One of the many illegal businesses upended by Operation RapTor was a large online black market vendor.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Incognito Market was an online narcotics bazaar that started on the dark web in October 2020.
Until it shut down in March 2024, Incognito Market sold more than $100 million of narcotics — including hundreds of kilograms of cocaine and methamphetamine, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
Incognito Market was available globally to anyone with internet access using the Tor web browser on the “dark web” or “darknet” and also advertises heroin, fentanyl, counterfeit prescription drugs and other illicit narcotics.
Incognito Market was “designed to facilitate seamless narcotics transactions,” incorporating many features of legitimate e-commerce sites such as branding, advertising, and customer service.
“These predators who peddled poison on the dark web might have thought they are untouchable — hiding behind screens, pushing fentanyl, fueling overdoses, and cashing in on misery. However, Operation RapTor just proved them wrong,” said DEA Acting Administrator Robert Murphy, in a statement. “DEA and our global partners reached across borders, across platforms, and across currencies to rip their networks apart. Let this stand as a warning: no mask, no marketplace, and no digital wallet can hide you from facing justice.”