NY man, shore woman charged in probe of deadly designer drugs by mail

A New York man accused of cooking up synthetic designer drugs that dwarf morphine for potency - and the Monmouth woman who allegedly ran his mail-order business - risk up to 20 years in prison on conviction for each of three related to the chemicals - which investigators say killed a Wisconsin man in 2016.

Brian Parker, 34, of Long Island City, and Victoria Koleski, 29, of Farmingdale, have an initial appearance scheduled today in a Newark federal courtroom, according to the office of Acting New Jersey U.S. Attorney William E. Fitzpatrick.

The complaint charges them with conspiring to distribute controlled susbstance analogues, distribution, and possession with intent to distribute, U-47700, A-PHP, and 3-MEO-PCP. In addition to possible prison time, they risk fines as high as $1,000,000 for each count.

Authorities said that Parker's record includes two previous convictions for federal crimes related to narcotics. He's accused in the current complaint of manufacturing and peddling controlled substance analogues through two web-based companies.

According to investigators, conttrolled substance analogues contain chemical structures, and produce hallucinogenic effects, similar to Schedule I controlled substances. U-47700, a synthetic opioid, is considered several times stronger than morphine.

Law enforcement agents investigating an overdose death in Madison, Wisconsin, on May 22, 2016, recovered several packages that were mailed to the victim, some containing full glass vials labled U-47700, and invoices that outlined orders for that and other substances through Parker's web site, authorities said.

The autopsy listed the cause of death as acute intoxication resulting from U-47700 and Benzodiazepine Analogue, or Etizolam.

Investigators who began monitoring one of Parker's sites alleged that he recruited Koleski, and others, to send and receive packages for his narcotics trade, taking in raw components from China and elsewhere, repackaging them and sending them to Parker for manufacture, receiving the finished products from him by mail, and sending them to customers.

Authorities accuse Koleski of sending about 218 packages, many containing controlled substance analogues, from a Farmingdale post office. About 75 parcels opened in a court-authorized search allegedly contained A-PHP, an analogue with effects similar to A-PVP,and 3-MEO-PCP, an analogue producting effects akin to PCP.

Charges are accusations. Defendants are presumed innocent unless, and until, found guilty in a court of law.