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An elderly Texas woman with a nursing degree was sentenced in federal court last Tuesday for her role in 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 last Tuesday after reportedly insisting that 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 resides 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, 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 that she was unaware some of the pills she was packaging contained fentanyl.
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Signage is seen outside of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) headquarters in White Oak, Maryland, on 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.