https://news3lv.com/news/local/las-vegas-man-sentenced-to-prison-in-money-laundering-opioids-case

Las Vegas (KSNV) — A local man will be spending several years in jail following a recent sentencing hearing.

Christopher S. Housley, 51, was sentenced on Friday to eight years in prison after being found guilty of importing, processing, and distributing nearly 300 pounds of the opioid, Tapentadol, across the United States, and laundering drug sale proceeds using shell companies.

In July 2021, Housley and a co-conspirator obtained a large industrial pill press; and in October 2021, Housley sought to obtain a Hello Kitty die used to press pills with that logo. After importing and processing the drugs, Housley would distribute them throughout the country.

Later on May 3, 2022, law enforcement executed a search warrant at a storage unit rented by Housley under a fake name. The storage unit contained Tapentadol, Alprazolam, and other controlled substances.

In total, law enforcement says they seized nearly 300,000 Tapentadol pills weighing more than 300 pounds.

He also created two shell companies to aid in paying for the drugs and receiving payments for the drug sales. Investigators say the shell companies wired a total of about $116,000 to accounts in India, China, and Singapore between September 2020 and October 2021.

Housley later pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance, Tapentadol, and 20 counts of money laundering.