JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Two brothers from Jacksonville were arrested Aug. 28 on federal charges of conspiracy to distribute nitazenes — synthetic opioids that experts say can match or surpass the potency of fentanyl.
Vladislav Chernyshov, 35, a naturalized U.S. citizen, and his brother Stanislav Chernyshov, 30, a Russian national illegally residing in Jacksonville, allegedly sold counterfeit oxycodone pills on the darknet under the moniker “BarbaraWhite,” according to court documents.
According to the U.S. Attorneys Office, the counterfeit pills were marketed as being “fent free,” but laboratory analysis identified several nitazene compounds in the pills, including Protonitazene, Metonitazene, N-Pyrrolidino Etonitazene and N-Pyrrolidino Isotonitazene — substances that have been found to be potentially more potent than fentanyl. The pills were designed to mimic the appearance of pharmaceutically manufactured oxycodone.
Law enforcement launched the investigation following a fatal overdose in Arlington.
If convicted, both brothers face a maximum penalty of at least 20 years in prison.
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