Tampa smoke shop owner accused of buying narcotics on dark web busted after overdose death: Sheriff
Courtesy: Hernando County Sheriff's Office
SPRING HILL, Fla. - The owner of two Tampa smoke shops is accused of using cryptocurrency to buy narcotics on the dark web and selling them in the Bay Area.
The backstory:
The Hernando County Sheriff’s Office said it began investigating Spring Hill resident Ryan Perez more than a year ago after getting information that he was dealing drugs.
While Perez lives on Utah Street in Spring Hill, Hernando County Sheriff Al Nienhuis said that most of the illegal activity was taking place through mail-order drug sales on the dark web.
Nienhuis added that investigators turned over the information they had to the Drug Enforcement Agency.
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He said a break in the case came on December 26, 2025, when the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office responded to a death investigation that turned into an overdose homicide investigation.
What we know:
According to Nienhuis, the wife of the man who overdosed told deputies that she knew who supplied MDMA, or ecstasy, to her husband and that he complained about being very hot the night before he died.
She told deputies that he went to take a shower and she went to bed. When she woke up, her husband was dead, according to HCSO.
READ: 4 arrested after narcotics investigation leads to drug bust at Spring Hill home: HCSO
Nienhuis referred to the individual who supplied the ecstasy as ‘Supplier No. 4." He said that "Supplier No. 4" told investigators about "Supplier No. 3" who told them about "Supplier No. 2," who led detectives to Perez, who, according to the sheriff, supplied the MDMA or ecstasy.
Courtesy: Hernando County Sheriff's Office
Nienhuis said that particular MDMA was about 2 ½ times the strength of MDMA that is typically found on the street.
By the numbers:
When investigators went to Perez’s home with a search warrant, they said they found:
- 2 pounds of MDMA
- 10 counterfeit Adderall pills
- 14 ½ grams of LSD
- 2 pounds of psilocybin mushrooms
- 1 pound of marijuana plants
- 20 pounds of other types of marijuana
Courtesy: Hernando County Sheriff's Office
Perez was charged with trafficking MDMA, trafficking controlled substances, specifically LSD, possession of psilocybin mushrooms with intent to sell, drug paraphernalia and possession of marijuana in plant form, wax and vapes.
"Any way you could adjust THC, he certainly had it," the sheriff explained.
Courtesy: Hernando County Sheriff's Office
Ryan Perez’s wife, Adina Perez, was also arrested during the search warrant for having a trafficking amount of MDMA.
Another person at the home was also arrested for felony possession of marijuana.
READ: Florida men caught with meth inside Hello Kitty bag during Hernando County traffic stop: HCSO
Dig deeper:
In addition to the search warrant for the Spring Hill home, the DEA got search warrants for two Hippe Crib smoke shops in Tampa, where agents said they seized several firearms.
Courtesy: Hernando County Sheriff's Office
Inside, Special Agent Danny Escobar with DEA Tampa Field Division said investigators found crypto-machines.
What they're saying:
"The subject himself was buying chemicals from China, from India, from European countries, packaging it and distributing it from those locations. Those chemicals have all kinds of controlled substances in them. Unbeknownst to the user, they have potent synthetic opioids, cannabinoids, K2, spice and a host of others. When you go buy these type of vape cartridges you don’t know exactly what you are getting."
Sheriff Neihuis said he wasn't sure exactly how long Ryan Perez was operating in the Bay Area, but believes it was for a while.
The Source: This article was written with information presented during a Hernando County Sheriff's Office press conference.