Bothell man sentenced for mail order meth crime

A Bothell man accused of using computer hard drives and the U.S. Postal Service to distribute methamphetamine around the world has been sentenced to five years in federal prison.

The dru- dealing endeavor rivals a plot from a "Breaking Bad" script. Ryan Kane, 34, was using hard drives to hide meth, which he then mailed inside the United States and across the globe.

Law enforcement agents intercepted two packages Kane sent to Australia. The packages contained computer hard drives. But upon closer inspection, those hard drives were filled with drugs.

“Mr. Kane was distributing nearly pure and addictive methamphetamine across the world, concealed in computer hard drives,” said U.S. Attorney Nick Brown. "He used the Dark Web to conceal his identity and make dangerous drugs available as far away as Australia and New Zealand.”

Kane pleaded guilty to a charge of Possession of Methamphetamine with Intent to Distribute in March.

Law enforcement became aware of Kane after noticing his online vendor account on the Dark Web. Kane was using the account to sell mail order meth. Detectives searched his Bothell home in July 2021 and found more hard drives, containing what added up to three kilos of methamphetamine hydrochloride. They also found artwork that related to his Dark Web vendor account.