A 55-year-old California man was sentenced to more than seven years in federal prison for his role in a sophisticated drug trafficking conspiracy that hid narcotics in canned goods and laundered money through five shell companies.

Dylan Tai Dang, a U.S. citizen from Garden Grove, Calif., was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Shanlyn A.S. Park Tuesday to 87 months and five years of supervised release for conspiring to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl.

Dang was initially charged June 30, 2025, with one count of concealment of money laundering and one count of distribution of more than 50 grams of methamphetamine. He entered into a plea agreement with federal prosecutors Feb.19 and pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute more than 50 grams of methamphetamine and more than 400 grams of fentanyl.

According to court
rec­ords, Dang and co-
conspirator Bill Van Nguyen sold and distributed more than 34 pounds of methamphetamine and more than
11 pounds of fentanyl and fentanyl-laced pills from their base in California to
a Hawaii buyer, who was working for the FBI.

Nguyen was sentenced to more than 18 years in federal prison and will forfeit $118,050 on charges of conspiring to sell 40 pounds a week of fentanyl and methamphetamine that was packed into cans labeled as condensed milk, green tea and hominy.

“Dang played an instrumental role in trafficking
significant amounts of methamphetamine, fentanyl, and fentanyl-laced pills from California to Hawaii between approximately April 2023 to April 2025. In considering the seriousness of the offense, the staggering amount of dangerous drugs that Dang facilitated Nguyen in trafficking to Hawaii cannot be understated — over 15,000 grams (over
33 pounds) of actual methamphetamine and over 3,700 grams of fentanyl (over eight pounds) that were recovered and tested in the investigation,” wrote Assistant U.S. Attorney
Rebecca A. Perlmutter, in a July 2 sentencing memo asking Park to sentence Dang to 87 months.

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Dang had no prior criminal convictions.

At sentencing, Park noted that Dang’s conduct involved bringing an “extraordinarily high” amount of methamphetamine and
fentanyl into a community that Dang did not even live in yet was “willing to destroy,” according to federal prosecutors.

According to federal court records, Dang told the undercover law enforcement officer he could launder drug money for a 5% commission and 40% of the profits from the investment vehicle used to clean the money. He used nine holding companies to make
real estate investments in California, other U.S. states and Asia with revenue from illegal drug sales, records show.

On May 9, 2023, the undercover FBI employee met with Nguyen at a restaurant in the Los Angeles area
and negotiated a deal for
20 pounds of methamphetamine for $1,400 a pound and the undercover officer put up a $20,000 down
payment.

According to court rec­ords, Nguyen texted the agent on May 15, 2023, to set up a 1-kilogram fentanyl deal and that “Dylan” would be sent to Hawaii to collect $28,000 from the undercover agent — $8,000 to pay off the remaining balance of the methamphetamine, and $20,000 for the kilogram of fentanyl. The next day the agent met with Dang at the Honolulu airport with the money. The pair then FaceTimed Nguyen to talk money and illegal drug sales, rec­ords show.

Six days later on May 22, 2023, at an Oahu address, law enforcement said it
received two bags of fentanyl.

On Feb. 13, 2024, authorities say the undercover employee set up a meeting with Dang to ask about “Dang’s ability to launder drug proceeds.” On March 14, 2024, the undercover picked up Dang from the airport before the pair had dinner at a
Honolulu restaurant. “During the meal, in a recorded conversation, Dang discussed in detail how he launders money and can even generate revenue on
illicit funds through real estate investments,” read an affidavit authored by an FBI agent. “Dang showed the (undercover) a list of properties he currently owns, mostly in the Orange County area of California, and is leveraging with illicit funds.”

Dang said his investments were“lucrative” and the properties were placed in “corporations to insulate himself so no one can search for what properties he owns,” according to court documents. Dang had “also been involved in real estate in Asia and owns properties throughout the United States.” He claimed he could clean drug proceeds for a 5% commission and 40% of any profits pulled from the laundered money, records show.

The minimum buy-in for Dang’s services was $50,000, but he allegedly agreed to launder $25,000 provided by the undercover agent.

On May 3, 2024, using the “directions and information” provided by Dang, the undercover law enforcement officer deposited $25,000 into an account for Dango Foods LLC. About two days later, Dang deposited “cleaned” funds into a bank account managed by law enforcement.

On May 8, 2024, law enforcement deposited $1,250 into an account for GOJI Berry Enterprise Inc. at a different bank, to cover Dang’s 5% commission.

On June 24, 2024, authorities say Dang told the undercover agent that he had access to Nguyen’s supplier of illegal drugs and that the undercover law enforcement agent and Dang should cut Nguyen out.

The undercover operation involved over $100,000 in payments for drugs intended to be distributed in Hawaii. Dang flew from California to Hawaii on two occasions to pick up over $41,000 in cash drug proceeds from the undercover, according to the U.S. Attorney’s office.

For three completed drug transactions, Dang acted as the frontman and negotiated the transactions with the undercover agent presenting an array of drugs for sale and using coded drug language in their
communications.

During the investigation, the government said it identified nine shell corporations set up by Dang, who facilitated the transfer of millions of dollars through the shell corporations’ associated bank accounts.

The FBI investigated the case with assistance from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; Honolulu Police Department; and
Orange County Sheriff’s
Department.