Phoenix man sentenced to prison for dark web drug trafficking, possessing child sexual abuse material

PHOENIX — A Phoenix man was sentenced to more than 12 years in prison for trafficking methamphetamine through the dark web and possessing child sexual abuse material.

Adam Joseph Clift, 44, pled guilty to a string of drug and child sex abuse material charges.

He was sentenced to seven years on drug trafficking charges and 12.5 years on child exploitation charges. Because the sentences will run at the same time, he will spend a total of 12.5 years in prison, the length of the longer sentence.

Once released, Clift will be added to the sex offender registry.

A Phoenix-based meth delivery, drug trafficking service

A U.S. Postal Inspection Service investigation was the first to flag the drugs.

In October 2023, they found that a drug vendor was advertising drugs on dark web pages and Telegram. The packages were shipped out of Phoenix under the names “The Collective” and “Safeway.”

Postal inspectors intercepted packages containing methamphetamine mailed to Texas, North Carolina, Ohio and Utah.

During a 2024 search warrant at Clift’s Phoenix home, they found a pound of methamphetamine along with smaller quantities of cocaine, heroin, fentanyl pills, MDMA and other drugs. They also seized phones, laptops, packaging materials, a scale and a heat sealer and vacuum machine.

Clift admitted he had been selling drugs, primarily methamphetamine, on the dark web since the COVID-19 pandemic and accepted payment through digital currencies like Bitcoin.

During the same search, inspectors discovered child sexual abuse material on Clift’s laptop.

A second grand jury indicted Clift on 10 counts of sexual exploitation of a minor.

After each indictment, Clift takes a plea deal

While an Arizona grand jury indicted Clift on 12 drug charges, he pleaded guilty to one count of transporting meth as part of a plea deal. He pleaded guilty to one count of sexual exploitation of a minor and two counts of attempted sexual exploitation of a minor.

The drug case was prosecuted by the Drug and Racketeering Enforcement Section of the Attorney General’s Office. The child exploitation case was handled by the office’s Fraud and Special Prosecutions Section.

Both were investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.

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