A 74-year-old woman who admitted to running a significant interstate drug trafficking operation was sentenced to probation rather than prison time in federal court on Monday.
Patricia Parker, an Austin, Texas native currently residing in Massachusetts, appeared before U.S. District Court Judge Melissa R. DuBose on November 25. Parker was sentenced to two years of probation, with a special mandate requiring her to serve the first nine months in home confinement.
The sentencing follows a guilty plea Parker entered on May 15, 2025, for conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and distribution of more than 310 grams of the synthetic opioid. According to Acting United States Attorney Sara Miron Bloom, that quantity of fentanyl represents approximately 150,000 lethal doses.
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Federal authorities say Parker’s involvement in the drug trade was extensive. The investigation into her activities began in May 2022, when she sold counterfeit amphetamine pills laced with fentanyl to an undercover special agent with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Approximately ten months after that undercover purchase, agents executed a search warrant at Parker’s residence. Inside, investigators discovered a stockpile of over 18,000 pills.
The cache included counterfeit amphetamines containing fentanyl, as well as various Schedule II and IV controlled substances that have not been approved for use by the FDA.
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Beyond the seizure at her home, shipping records obtained during the probe indicated the operation was high-volume. Investigators found evidence that Parker had mailed more than 1,000 parcels suspected of containing illegal drugs to various locations.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Paul F. Daly, Jr.
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