Elderly woman learns fate for distributing 150,000 doses of fentanyl through the mail
A 74-year-old Texas woman with a nursing degree was sentenced in federal court for her role in distributing approximately 150,000 lethal doses of fentanyl, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Rhode Island announced Monday.
Patrica Parker received the sentence after maintaining that she was unaware her parcels contained fentanyl.
Federal investigators, however, argued that the case involved risks “that an educated, adult woman must have recognized,” according to a sentencing memorandum.
Parker pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and distributing more than 310 grams of the drug. She was sentenced to two years of probation, including nine months of home confinement.
Authorities said Parker, now a Massachusetts resident, attempted to distribute counterfeit amphetamine pills laced with fentanyl to an undercover FDA special agent in 2022.
During the investigation, agents discovered Parker possessed over 18,000 pills—including Adderall, oxycodone, and diazepam—and had distributed more than a thousand parcels suspected to contain illegal drugs.
Her attorney told Boston.com that after the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted her career and left her unable to afford medications, a supplier she had used regularly offered her the drugs in exchange for mailing pills to others. According to an affidavit, Parker received large shipments of illicit products from overseas, repackaged them into smaller parcels, and mailed them out.
Parker’s attorney described the operation as a “side hustle” she undertook during financial hardship. Prosecutors, however, argued that her actions effectively turned her living room into a makeshift pharmacy, posing dangers that any educated adult should have recognized.
Parker has maintained she did not know some of the pills contained fentanyl. In a letter to the judge, she wrote, “This incident is completely out of character with the life I have lived and values I have always tried to uphold. I would NEVER have knowingly taken part in anything related to such a dangerous drug. 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 contacted the District of Rhode Island and the FDA for additional comment.
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