YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio — A federal grand jury has indicted 39-year-old Pierre Parker in connection to fentanyl trafficking after he opened a package containing drugs sent through the mail to a residence in Newton Falls, Ohio. Parker faces charges of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute fentanyl and attempted possession with intent to distribute fentanyl.
Parker has been in federal detention since November 19, 2024, when a criminal complaint was filed against him. According to the affidavit accompanying the complaint, postal inspectors were alerted to a suspicious package sent from Phoenix, Arizona, to an address on Benita Avenue in Newton Falls. Upon receiving a search warrant, authorities discovered several pills containing fentanyl inside the package, weighing a total of two and a half pounds.
The investigation continued with the collaboration of federal Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agents and the Portage County Sheriff’s Office. They arranged for an undercover delivery of the package, which was modified to replace the fentanyl with a different substance, and a tracking device was placed inside.
After the package was delivered, authorities learned that it had been opened and moved into the residence. Parker, who had been seen repeatedly entering and exiting the house, was found in a car in the driveway. He admitted to opening the package and stated that he planned to deliver the drugs to an unknown individual at a Walmart in Canton, Ohio, for a payment of $2,000.