April 18 (UPI) — A federal grand jury has indicted an Iranian national for his role in an illegal dark web drug operation, the Justice Department said in a statement Thursday.

The defendant, Behrouz Parsarad, 36, is accused of being the founder and operator of Nemesis Market, which trafficked in stolen financial information, fraudulent identification documents, counterfeit currencies and computer malware, the Justice Department said in a release. According to federal prosecutors, the site processed at least 400,000 orders between 2021 and 2024.

“Of these, more than 55,000 orders were categorized as orders for stimulants, including methamphetamine, cocaine, case (crack) cocaine and other controlled substances,” the Justice Department said. An additional 17,000 orders were categorized as orders for opioids, including fentanyl, heroin and oxycodone.

The department said it had covertly purchased several items from the site and confirmed that they contained controlled substances.

Parasard is charged with conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and distributing them in Ohio and elsewhere, the department said. The defendant is also charged with money laundering conspiracy for using proceeds to promote illegal drug dealing and offering money laundering services through the website by using a mix of cryptocurrencies and and other means that allowed Nemesis Market to pay for goods and services while obscure the origin of the shipments.

If convicted, Parasard faces a minimum sentence of 10 years in federal prison and a maximum of life imprisonment.