Texas
Elderly Texas woman learns fate for distributing 150,000 doses of fentanyl through the mail
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An elderly Texas woman with a nursing degree was sentenced in federal court recently for her role distributing 150,000 lethal doses of fentanyl after being caught by an undercover agent, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Rhode Island announced Monday.
Patrica Parker, 74, received the ruling after reportedly insisting she did not know her parcels contained fentanyl. Investigators, however, argued that the case “presented dangers that an educated, adult woman must have recognized,” according to a sentencing memorandum.
Prosecutors said Parker pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute fentanyl and distributing more than 310 grams of the drug. She was sentenced to two years probation, including nine months of home confinement, according to the office.
Officials said Parker, who now lives in Massachusetts, was attempting to distribute counterfeit amphetamine pills laced with fentanyl to an undercover Food and Drug Administration (FDA) special agent in 2022.
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Several packages containing drugs, possibly laced with fentanyl, are displayed on a bed. (U.S. District Court of Rhode Island)
Following the undercover operation, agents discovered that Parker was in possession of more than 18,000 pills, including Adderall, oxycodone and diazepam, and had distributed over a thousand parcels suspected to contain illegal drugs, according to the authorities.
Parker’s attorney reported that after COVID-19 devastated her career and left her unable to afford her medications, a supplier she regularly used offered to provide the drugs if she agreed to mail pills to others, local outlet Boston.com said.
According to an affidavit, Parker would receive large shipments of illicit products from overseas, break them into smaller packages and mail them out, the outlet added. Her attorney reportedly described the operation as a “side hustle” she took on during her financial struggles.
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Bags containing thousands of pink-colored pills. (U.S. District Court of Rhode Island)
Prosecutors argued that Parker’s secret operation effectively turned her living room into a makeshift pharmacy, creating risks that any educated adult should have recognized, according to the sentencing memorandum.
Parker has maintained she was unaware some of the pills she was packaging contained fentanyl.
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The Food and Drug Administration headquarters in White Oak, Md., Aug. 29, 2020. (Reuters/Andrew Kelly/File photo)
“This incident is completely out of character with the life I have lived and values I have always tried to uphold,” Parker said in a letter to the judge, according to Boston.com.
“I would NEVER have knowingly taken part in anything related to such a dangerous drug,” she added. “I should have inquired what it was, so that was my own doing. I see that in retrospect, but that fact haunts me to this day.”
Fox News Digital reached out to the District of Rhode Island and the FDA for more information.
No. 1 seed Texas (51-12, 16-8 in SEC play) and No. 3 seed Texas Tech (61-8, 21-3 in the Big 12) begin their three-game series at 8 p.m. ET Wednesday in Oklahoma City. Each
Texas
Brazoria County deputy shoots, kills Texas State University student after car chase, report says
BRAZORIA COUNTY, Texas – A Texas State University student was shot and killed by a Brazoria County Sheriff’s deputy early Monday morning after an attempted traffic stop in Lake Jackson.
The news was first reported by The University Star, Texas State’s student-run newspaper.
In a Tuesday statement to KSAT, the university identified the student as John Gabriel Mendoza Jr., 18. He was a freshman who studied management, according to the school.
“We extend our heartfelt condolences to his family, friends, classmates, and all those affected by this tragedy,” the university said in its statement.
Deputies attempted a traffic stop on a vehicle just after midnight Monday near Farm-to-Market 2004 and This Way Street in Lake Jackson, the sheriff’s office said.
The driver of the vehicle, who was identified as Mendoza by The University Star, did not stop, deputies said. The deputies then chased after the vehicle for approximately a mile into a neighborhood located in the 100 block of Indian Warrior Trail.
According to the sheriff’s office, the driver went inside a home’s garage and parked before a deputy approached the vehicle, the release said.
The deputy then pulled out his firearm and shot into the vehicle. The sheriff’s office said the gunfire struck the driver.
The University Star reported that Mendoza was the one shot. He was taken to a hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.
The deputy who pulled the trigger has since been placed on administrative leave in accordance with the Brazoria County Sheriff’s Office policy.
KSAT reached out to the Lake Jackson Police Department and the Brazoria County Sheriff’s Office for more information, but neither agency has responded at this time.
The shooting investigation is being led by the Texas Rangers, according to a Brazoria County Sheriff’s Office news release.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
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