Federal charges link North Carolina dark web drug operation to Hamilton County overdose deaths

A North Carolina man who admitted to running a dark web drug shop called "Starlabs" now faces federal charges after two overdose deaths in the Greater Cincinnati area, including one in Blue Ash, according to court records reported Friday.

The Hamilton County Heroin Task Force helped lead the investigation into Alexander Green, of Jacksonville, North Carolina. Green is charged with conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and distribution of controlled substances, according to federal court filings cited by FOX19.

Green was arrested Wednesday in North Carolina and turned over Thursday to U.S. marshals. He waived his right to hearings in North Carolina and agreed to be transferred to Cincinnati to face charges, a court order states.

How the case started

Green came to law enforcement's attention after suspected overdose deaths in Blue Ash in Hamilton County and Clearcreek Township in Warren County in March 2026, according to an FBI affidavit. At both scenes, investigators found USPS packages bearing the same return name and address traced to a man in North Carolina.

In Clearcreek Township, the victim was found holding a small bag, and his parents told investigators he had been buying drugs off the dark web, the affidavit states.

The investigation became a joint effort among the Hamilton County Heroin Task Force, the U.S. Postal Service, and the FBI-led Southern Ohio Digital Organized Crime Group, which specializes in dark web probes.

The 'Starlabs' operation

Green admitted he operated under the name "Starlabs" and conspired with others to sell heroin, methamphetamine and counterfeit pills for cryptocurrency, shipping them through the U.S. mail from North Carolina into Ohio and other states, according to the affidavit.

Agents subpoenaed a label reseller and obtained shipping data tied to the overdose-scene parcels, plus more than 200 other shipping labels used on packages sent from North Carolina in March 2026.

Federal court records describe several controlled purchases from "Starlabs" by the FBI and DEA in New York and the FBI in Cincinnati. Lab testing found fentanyl in purported oxycodone pills and in heroin samples. One package tied to an undercover buy tested positive for both methamphetamine and fentanyl. Another seized package contained isotonitazene, a synthetic opioid estimated to be dozens of times more potent than fentanyl.

Search warrants and evidence

Search warrants executed in July 2026 at a Jacksonville residence and a detached shed recovered a pill press, suspected narcotics, computer files and encryption keys allegedly linking Green to "Starlabs," according to the affidavit. The FBI described the shed as a suspected drug-pressing setup.

The affidavit also states Green has four prior felony arrests, including drug offenses, and references a 2022 New Jersey search where officers seized distribution quantities of counterfeit pills, psilocybin mushrooms, ketamine, LSD and heroin.