Attorney General Mayes Announces Nearly Decade in Prison for Instagram Drug Dealer
BUCKEYE – Attorney General Kris Mayes announced today that Joshua Lubischer was sentenced by Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Max Covil to 9.25 years in the Arizona Department of Corrections, to be followed by a term of 5 years on Intensive Probation upon release. The sentencing was issued September 15, 2025, following Lubischer’s Arizona State Grand Jury indictment on January 21, 2025, on charges of Conspiracy, Illegally Conducting an Enterprise, Possession of Marijuana for Sale, four counts of Possession of a Dangerous Drug for Sale, and two counts of Possession of a Narcotic Drug for Sale.
“Drug dealers are targeting your kids on social media and law enforcement has a responsibility to do something about it. I’m glad my office was able to secure nearly a decade in prison for this individual who was responsible for selling dangerous drugs to children on Instagram,” said Attorney General Kris Mayes. “We need to be vigilant about the career criminals abusing social media to lure Arizona’s youngest residents into danger.”
On January 4, 2025, Buckeye PD received a report of a minor purchasing LSD through Instagram. The minor's guardian contacted police to report the suspected drug dealer. The minor was interviewed and told police that he has purchased LSD for $10 earlier that day and then consumed it. He provided the Instagram account and a description of the dealer, as well as a description of the car he drove. The minor told officers that the dealer had offered to sell cocaine and Xanax.
The suspect was later identified as Joshua Lubischer. His Instagram account had a link to his telegram account, which was advertising drugs for sale, giving a menu of drugs with prices. He had also posted a selfie on his Instagram stories, allowing authorities to further confirm his identity. He was observed driving car consistent with the description provided by the minor. On January 8, 2025, Lubischer was followed to an apartment complex in Phoenix and police witnessed a possible hand-to-hand sale with a young male.
On January 9, 2025, a search warrant was executed at suspect's residence located. Police recovered:
- 24 tabs of LSD
- 101 grams of psylocibin mushrooms
- 10 ecstasy pills
- 66 alprazolam pills
- 17 grams packaged marijuana
- 65 grams of THC in vape cartridges
- 1 oz cannabis wax
- packaging seals and a digital scale
Lubischer has prior felony convictions for Endangerment, Misconduct Involving Weapons, Possession of Dangerous Drugs, Possession of Narcotic Drugs, Facilitation to Commit Possession of Marijuana for Sale, and Possession of a Dangerous Drug for Sale. He was on probation at the time of this offense.
Social media companies have become hubs for communication, commerce, and community—but many are also enabling illegal activity on their platforms. A 2023 National Institute of Health (NIH) study found that up to 13% of social media posts promoted illicit drug sales. Drug traffickers are brazenly boosting their sales posts on social media, in some cases paying to make it a sponsored post. The social media platforms’ algorithms are driving teen accounts to these illicit drug sales posts. The National Crime Prevention Council estimates 80% of teen and young adult fentanyl poisoning deaths can be traced to some social media contact.
The Attorney General’s Office is committed to holding social media companies accountable for enabling and facilitating alleged illegal activities. We launched this website to serve as a resource where the public can see cases, indictments, and convictions where social media companies are named in connection with criminal activity. Even as Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act (codified at 47 U.S.C. § 230) shields these companies from being held accountable for criminal actions taken by third-party actors, sentencing like these, and the indictments we’re highlighting, shine a light on the role social media platforms play in enabling and facilitating illegal drug activity. It will highlight indictments where these platforms are named as tools allegedly used to commit crimes—particularly fentanyl trafficking.
This case was prosecuted by Arizona Attorney General Office’s Criminal Division.
A copy of the indictment is here. A copy of the photo of the defendant is here.