A fatal fentanyl overdose in Blue Ash triggered a multi-agency investigation that ended with federal charges against a North Carolina man accused of shipping drugs to customers across the region through a darknet marketplace, according to federal court records reported by Local 12.
Alexander Green faces charges of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances, and distribution of controlled substances. He was arrested July 16 at his North Carolina home.
The Hamilton County Heroin Coalition Task Force launched the investigation after responding to the fatal overdose in Blue Ash. Detectives recovered drugs and a USPS shipping box at the scene.
How investigators traced the packages
Task force investigators traced the shipping label to Orange Mailer, a company that resells USPS labels, and determined the package originated in North Carolina. A second fatal overdose in Clearcreek Township, Warren County, was later connected to another package bearing the same return address.
Using subpoenas, investigators identified customers purchasing drugs from an online storefront called Starlabs on the DrugHub darknet marketplace. Court documents say Green allegedly operated Starlabs, selling heroin, methamphetamine, Adderall, oxycodone, cocaine and MDMA.
FBI investigators traced cryptocurrency transactions from Green's Coinbase account to a known dark web drug marketplace, according to court records.
Fentanyl found in undercover purchases
Authorities conducted multiple undercover purchases from Starlabs. Testing by the Hamilton County crime lab found many of the seized drugs contained fentanyl, court records state.
Hamilton County Public Health serves as a CDC sentinel site for monitoring dangerous adulterants in the illegal drug supply.
Search warrant and arrest
A search warrant executed at Green's home on July 16 uncovered a Starlabs customer mailing list, drugs, a pill press and documents believed to contain instructions for manufacturing pills, according to court records. The Hamilton County Heroin Coalition Task Force also intercepted packages allegedly mailed by Green to recipients in Louisville, Kentucky, and Virginia.
Green had prior drug arrests, including one involving his child overdosing after ingesting a baggie of heroin, Dayton 24/7 Now reported.
No arraignment date or next court appearance has been publicly announced.
Overdose resources for residents
Hamilton County's overdose death toll has declined for four consecutive years, according to the county's 2025 State of the Addiction Crisis report released in March 2026. But fentanyl contamination remains a persistent risk in illicit drugs purchased online or on the street.
Residents can obtain free naloxone (Narcan) and fentanyl test strips through Hamilton County Public Health at hamiltoncountyhealth.org/services/overdose-prevention, or through the Ohio Department of Health at odh.ohio.gov.
