UT alumnus Samuel Parry was sentenced to one year and one day in federal prison on Friday for his involvement in a 2020 West Campus drug trafficking scandal. He was the first of the 13 people involved who pleaded guilty to receive sentencing. 

In December 2020, 17 people, including current and former UT students, were arrested in connection to a drug trafficking ring that began in April 2019, according to a December 2020 press release from the U.S. Department of Justice. According to the Department of Justice, the operation allegedly “conspired to distribute LSD, fentanyl and methamphetamine” disguised as prescription drugs. 

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Thirteen plead guilty to 2020 West Campus drug ring charges; four set to jury trial next year

“Make no mistake about it. These are not pills being carefully manufactured and tested by trusted, regulated pharmaceutical companies,” said Gregg Sofer, the U.S. attorney general for the Western District of Texas, in a press release at the time of the arrest. “When unsuspecting college kids and drug users put these pills in their mouths, they are playing Russian roulette.”

Parry, who is 25 years old and graduated from UT in 2019, was arrested along with 12 others. Authorities later arrested four more suspects in relation to the operation.

Sofer said the operation started in 2019 when federal and state investigators noticed an increase in counterfeit and controlled substances in the Austin area and overdose reports in West Campus.

“Investigators estimate that the overall sales of the illegal drugs sold by this organization exceed one million dollars,” Sofer said in a live 2020 press release.

According to court documents from the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas, Parry was charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine on Dec. 3, 2020. He plead guilty to the charge and was sentenced on Friday to three years of probation and a special assessment charge of $100 in addition to his prison sentence. 

“Sam acknowledged his past mistakes and took full responsibility,” Parry’s attorney Samuel Bassett said in an email. “He is a bright young man and has worked very hard over the past two years to improve himself and help others. He is grateful to put this behind him and move forward with his life.”

Ring leader Varun Prasad, another former student, was arrested in December 2020 and is currently awaiting sentencing as well. 

Parry is the first to receive sentencing out of the 13 individuals that pleaded guilty in early to mid 2022. Four people involved in the operation pleaded not guilty to the charges, and now await a jury trial. Jury selection will begun for those trials March 2023.

Remaining individuals will be sentenced in April and May of this year. Those awaiting sentencing include: Varun Prasad, Ashley Larue, Drew Zarate, Christopher Edwards, Nikit Shingari, Nolan Fogleman, Brandon Carpenter, Madison Scott, Jacob Schelling, Charles Zenker, Adrian Andreescu and Robert Bybato.