Drug bust connected to the deaths of two Park City teens

SALT LAKE CITY — A Las Vegas man was booked into jail in Utah Thursday, charged with distributing Fentanyl-laced fake oxycodone to a student dealer in Park City. According to federal charging documents, the man shipped the potent drugs to Utah over the last three months. He also allegedly dealt the opioids that killed two Park City teens in 2016.

According to court papers filed in federal court yesterday, 21-year-old Colin Andrew Shapard of Las Vegas ran a sophisticated operation selling deadly opioids for eight years. He bought the drugs on the dark web, shipped them through the mail, and shows no remorse for the harm that his drugs have caused.

Prosecutors argue Shapard should stay in jail while awaiting a hearing because he will continue to deal drugs. Shapard, who previously lived in Park City, is charged with six counts of distributing fentanyl, including one count of distribution resulting in serious bodily injury, because the student dealer overdosed on fentanyl, but survived.

“Everything that he was doing, all of his distribution, buys, purchases, everything was occurring via the dark web,” said Jay Tinkler, assistant special agent in charge with the DEA in Utah.

In November, the DEA learned that Shapard was shipping opioids from Las Vegas to Park City. He shipped fentanyl-laced oxycodone, known as “blues” on the street, every two weeks to a student dealer. That student confessed and agents later seized several packages with the fentanyl, which Shapard told customers was legitimate oxycodone.

“We intercepted multiple packages before they arrived at the destination working in conjunction with the Postal Service,” Tinkler said. “They were a great help in tracking these packages.”

Surveillance cameras picked up Shapard shipping the drugs from Las Vegas. An undercover agent then contacted Shapard, and ordered and received drugs from Shapard in January and February. According to documents, Shapard told the agent the drugs were legitimate oxycodone rather than very deadly fentanyl.

Shapard also told the student dealer that he would kill him if he snitched to law enforcement.

According to court papers, Shapard dealt the drugs in 2016 when two Park City teens ingested an opioid called “pink” and died in their sleep. Shapard was charged in that case. But, felony charges were dismissed and he was sentenced to probation and drug treatment.

According to the court papers, when asked by the student dealer whether he ever thought about the parents whose children died because they ingested his drugs, he laughed and said no.

“It’s imperative to get these guys off the street, as soon as possible,” said the DEA agent. “That’s why we tried to expedite the investigation.”