FARGO, N.D. (AP) – A Texas man accused of leading a conspiracy to import and sell chemicals used to make synthetic hallucinogenic drugs that led to the overdose deaths of two teenagers in the Grand Forks area says he will plead guilty.
Charles Carlton is charged in federal court with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances resulting in death. He pleaded not guilty in January 2013.
Prosecutors say Carlton imported the chemicals from China, the U.K, Austria, Poland, Greece, Spain, and Canada through a business he used, and distributed them throughout the U.S.
Authorities say one of Carlton’s customers, Andrew Spofford of Grand Forks, admitted to cooking up the hallucinogens that led to the deaths of 18-year-old Christian Bjerk, of Grand Forks, and 17-year-old Elijah Stai, of Park Rapids, Minn.
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