An elderly Texas woman with a nursing degree has been sentenced in federal court for distributing 150,000 lethal doses of fentanyl, authorities announced. Patrica Parker, 74, received two years of probation, including nine months of home confinement, after pleading guilty to conspiring to distribute fentanyl and distributing more than 310 grams of the drug.
Investigators said Parker was caught attempting to distribute counterfeit amphetamine pills laced with fentanyl to an undercover FDA special agent in 2022. Following the operation, authorities discovered more than 18,000 pills in her possession, including Adderall, oxycodone, and diazepam, and over a thousand parcels suspected to contain illegal drugs.
Parker’s attorney explained that she began mailing the drugs after COVID-19 devastated her career and left her unable to afford her medications. Large shipments from overseas were broken into smaller packages and sent to others, which prosecutors argued turned her living room into a makeshift pharmacy, creating serious public safety risks.
Parker maintains she did not know some of the pills contained fentanyl. In a letter to the judge, she wrote, “I would NEVER have knowingly taken part in anything related to such a dangerous drug” and expressed remorse for her actions.
