WASHINGTON - Authorities have arrested two brothers accused of having ties to a darknet vendor that sold counterfeit oxycodone pills containing potent synthetic opioids, following an investigation launched after a fatal overdose in Arlington, Virginia.
The FBI Washington Field Office said Vladislav Chernyshov, 35, a naturalized U.S. citizen, and Stanislav Chernyshov, 30, a Russian national illegally residing in Jacksonville, Florida, allegedly distributed counterfeit oxycodone pills on the darknet under the name "BarbaraWhite."
Laboratory analysis found the pills, which mimicked legitimate oxycodone markings, were laced with several nitazenes, including Protonitazene, Metonitazene, N‑Pyrrolidino Etonitazene and N‑Pyrrolidino Isotonitazene.
The pills were marketed as "fent free," though the substances identified have been found to be potentially more potent than fentanyl.
Law enforcement began its investigation into the brothers after the fatal Arlington overdose.
Vladislav and Stanislav Chernyshov face a maximum penalty of at least twenty years in prison if convicted.
The Source: Information in this article comes from the United States Attorney’s Office Eastern District of Virginia.