Feds Charge Howell Woman In Online Drug Scheme, OD Death

NEWARK, NJ — A Howell woman has been charged with conspiracy in connection with the distribution of "dangerous, designer" synthetic drugs that led to the overdose death of a Wisconsin man in 2016, Acting U.S. Attorney William E. Fitzpatrick announced Tuesday.

Victoria Koleski, 29, of Howell, charged with conspiring to distribute controlled substance analogues, and distributing and possessing with intent to distribute the controlled substance analogues, Fitzpatrick's office said in a news release.

She and Brian Parker, 34, of Long Island City, New York, who previously lived with Koleski and also is charged in the conspiracy, are scheduled to appear in federal court in Newark Tuesday afternoon, officials said. Both were arrested Tuesday morning, officials said.

Federal investigators say Parker ran a pair of websites that sold manufactured substances to people all over the country. Parker would have raw materials shipped to him, and then would send the drugs he manufactured to co-conspirators, including Koleski, who then filled orders for the customers of Parker's websites, according to the complaint.

Authorities say Koleski received shipments of prepared drugs at a Farmingdale address, then shipped them to customers from a Wall Township UPS store using a Stamps.com account registered to Parker, according to the complaint.

The 37-year-old man who died of an overdose in Madison, WI, received a shipment of a drug named U-47700, a synthetic opioid taken orally that is several times more potent than morphine, federal authorities said. The U-47700 was found in the man's system during his autopsy, authorities said. The investigation revealed the man had placed several orders to Parker's website. An unopened package containing oral syringes loaded with U-47700 was found in his residence and had been shipped with preprinted postage from the Stamps.com account and mailed from the Wall UPS store, the complaint said.

At the time of the Wisconsin man's overdose, Koleski and Parker lived together at Koleski's home, which though authorities said was in Farmingdale, is actually in Howell Township, according to the Asbury Park Press. Parker moved to Long Island City sometime in January 2017, authorities said.

In June, Koleski was observed shipping 218 orders of designer drugs two days after authorities tracked Parker from his Long Island City home to Koleski's residence, where he dropped off a bag of items, authorities said. The drugs were shipped using Parker's Stamps.com account, authorities said.

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