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Federal Jury Convicts Five in Drug Trafficking Conspiracy that Used Semi-Trucks to Transport Liquid Meth from Mexico to Oklahoma

posted 2 days ago
18 Now Convicted as Part of Drug Trafficking Organization Responsible for Approximately 16,000 Kilos of Methamphetamine with Estimated Street Value of $64,000,000 OKLAHOMA CITY – A federal jury has convicted JUAN HERNANDEZ , 49, a Mexican-national living in Oklahoma City, JESSICA MUNIZ , 32, of Oklahoma City, and DENIS LEAL GUTIERREZ , 59, CESAR AZAMAR , 52, and ADRIAN NARVAEZ , 58, of Texas, for their roles in a drug trafficking organization (DTO) that specialized in transporting liquid methamphetamine by semi-truck from Mexico, through Texas, to Oklahoma City, and laundering the subsequent drug proceeds, announced U.S. Attorney Robert J. ...

A Leader of Notorious Philadelphia ‘10th and O Crew’ Sentenced to Six Years for Opioid Drug Conspiracy

posted 4 days ago
A South Philadelphia man was sentenced yesterday in the District of New Jersey to six years in prison for conspiracy to distribute oxycodone, a highly addictive controlled substance. According to court documents, between January 2022 and February 2024, Michael Procopio, 50, coordinated the unlawful sale of prescription oxycodone pills as a leader of South Philadelphia’s notorious “10th and O Crew.” Procopio obtained the pills from doctors’ offices in the area. He then unlawfully distributed them through a network of intermediaries. In February 2024, during a search of Procopio’s residence pursuant to a search warrant, law enforcement found oxycodone, Adderall ...

Walgreens Agrees to Pay Up to $350M for Illegally Filling Unlawful Opioid Prescriptions and for Submitting False Claims to the Federal Government

posted 5 days ago
The Justice Department, together with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), today announced a $300 million settlement with Walgreens Boots Alliance, Walgreen Co., and various subsidiaries (collectively, Walgreens) to resolve allegations that the national chain pharmacy illegally filled millions of invalid prescriptions for opioids and other controlled substances in violation of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) and then sought payment for many of those invalid prescriptions by Medicare and other federal health care programs in violation of the False Claims Act (FCA). The ...

Brooksville Man Sentenced To Prison For Electronic Prescribing Fraud Scheme

posted 03-26-2025
U.S. District Judge Mary S. Scriven today sentenced Colton Neal (26, Brooksville) to two years and six months in federal prison for wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. Neal pleaded guilty on December 16, 2024. According to court documents, beginning in June 2022 and continuing through July 2023, Neal used an electronic health record and digital telehealth platform to issue electronic prescriptions transmitted through interstate wires. In doing so, Neal used Doctor #1’s name and National Provider Identifier, which he obtained without permission or consent, and posted advertisements on a darknet forum. Neal collected payments for issuing fraudulent controlled ...

Nurse accused of poisoning, killing friend for $1.5 million life insurance policy

posted 03-23-2025
A nurse was arrested for allegedly poisoning and killing her friend and former roommate to claim a life insurance policy. According to KUTV, Meggan Randall Sundwall, 47, killed her friend and former roommate, Kacee Lyn Terry, 38, by giving her a fatal dose of insulin. Sundwall believed she was the beneficiary of a “rumored $1.5 million life insurance policy held by Kacee,” according to a police booking affidavit. Read Article #Homicide #NurseDiversion #Utah #Insulin

Jury Finds Physician Guilty of Operating a Pill Mill from His D.C. Medical Practice

posted 03-21-2025
Ndubuisi Joseph Okafor, M.D., 65, of Upper Marlboro, Maryland, was found guilty today by a federal jury in U.S. District Court in connection with illegally distributing prescriptions for narcotics in exchange for cash from his Northwest Washington D.C. medical clinic. The verdict was announced by U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin, Jr., Matthew R. Galeotti, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, FBI Special Agent in Charge Sean Ryan of the Washington Field Office Criminal and Cyber Division, Special Agent in Charge Maureen R. Dixon of the Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General (HHS-OIG), Daniel W. Lucas, ...

Three Convicted for Fraudulently Billing Over $8 Million to Medicare and Medicaid Through Opioid Addiction Treatment Clinics in Kentucky

posted 03-21-2025
A federal jury convicted a Kentucky doctor, a Texas businessman, and a Kentucky woman yesterday for their roles operating a scheme out of a series of addiction treatment facilities in Kentucky that fraudulently billed Medicare and Kentucky Medicaid for over $8 million. According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Dr. José Alzadon, 61, of Paintsville, Kentucky; Michael Bregenzer, 52, of Richmond, Texas; and Barbie Vanhoose, 62, of West Van Lear, Kentucky, orchestrated their health care fraud scheme through Kentucky Addiction Centers (KAC), which operated in Winchester, Paducah, Paintsville, and London, Kentucky. As part of his role as KAC’s ...

Temporary closure of Saskatoon library branches amid overdose crisis needed but won't fix broader issues: CUPE

posted 03-21-2025
Saskatoon Public Library closing downtown, 20th Street branches for a month over staff safety concerns The union representing Saskatoon Public Library workers says the temporary closure of two library branches over safety concerns stemming from an overdose crisis is the right thing to do — for now. On Friday, the public library announced a month-long closure of its downtown Frances Morrison Library and the Dr. Freda Ahenakew library on 20th Street W. in the wake of the city's protracted overdose crisis. Library staff responded to at least 48 overdoses or drug poisonings so far this year — almost double the number from the same period in 2024, according ...

Defendants Also Allegedly Conspired to Send Four Metric Tons of a Precursor Chemical to the United States and Mexico for the Manufacture of Fentanyl

posted 03-20-2025
An India-based chemical manufacturing company and three high-level employees were charged in federal court in Washington, D.C., today related to illegally importing precursor chemicals used to make illicit fentanyl. According to the indictment, Vasudha Pharma Chem Limited (VPC), VPC Chief Global Business Officer Tanweer Ahmed Mohamed Hussain Parkar, 63, of India and the United Kingdom; VPC Marketing Director Venkata Naga Madhusudhan Raju Manthena, 48, of India; and VPC Marketing Representative Krishna Vericharla, 40, of India, were charged with multiple counts of manufacturing and distributing a List I fentanyl precursor chemical for unlawful importation into ...

SWAT raid finds 21-time felon and kids in West Palm Beach drug den

posted 03-14-2025
A West Palm Beach home transformed into a drug den was raided by a SWAT team, revealing a substantial amount of drugs and children in hazardous conditions—all linked to a 21-time convicted felon. The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office (PBSO) said that on Thursday deputies executed a search warrant on a West Palm Beach home and detained several people. According to the probable cause affidavit, just before the SWAT team arrived, a Subaru pulled up, and the driver, identified as Ricky Fields, fled into an alleyway leading to the home. Deputies apprehended Fields and searched his backpack, uncovering two bags of marijuana weighing approximately five grams and ...

Senate passes HALT Fentanyl Act to permanently classify all fentanyl-related drugs as Schedule I substances

posted 03-14-2025
The bill aims to close loopholes exploited by drug traffickers The Senate passed a bipartisan bill Friday that will permanently classify fentanyl-related substances, also known as fentanyl analogs, as Schedule I substances under the Controlled Substances Act. The HALT Fentanyl Act passed with overwhelming support, earning 84 Senate votes while 16 opposed it. The bill aims to close loopholes exploited by drug traffickers who smuggle substances with chemical compositions similar to fentanyl but are different enough to evade legal penalties. Read Article #UnitedStates #Fentanyl #NewLegislation

New FDA rules change drug policy for rescue units

posted 03-11-2025
If you’ve ever called an ambulance to your house, you know they keep a kit full of medications and anything they need with them so they’re ready to respond to any crisis. Fire and rescue departments across Virginia, though, are having to make changes to the way they store and transport those drugs — and it might change the way you’re billed for that emergency call. It’s due to the Drug Supply Chain Security Act that takes effect next month, and while it’s a big change for fire departments, it also gives them a bit more freedom when it comes to treating their patients. Read Article #Virginia #DSCSA #EMS

Four Brazilian Nationals Arrested for Allegedly Running Illegal Prescription Drug Ring; Allegedly Distributed Misbranded Drugs Imported From Brazil

posted 03-11-2025
Lead defendant allegedly held himself out to be a legitimate pharmacist to Framingham’s Portuguese-speaking community Four undocumented Brazilian nationals currently residing in Framingham have been arrested for their alleged roles in a conspiracy to import pharmaceutical-grade controlled substances and other misbranded drugs from Brazil and distribute them throughout the greater Framingham area. Douglas Reis de Souza, 40; Dekny Marcos de Carvaleho Reis, 33; Dekmara de Carvalho Reis, 34; and Wandiscleia Ferreira de Souza Guimaraes, 41, all of Framingham, have been charged with one count each of conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent ...

Ex-Walgreens manager admits to helping plan robberies, asking to be assaulted to make them look more real

posted 03-11-2025
The group includes two store managers who took turns pretending to be taken hostage during the robberies. A group of people behind a conspiracy to repeatedly rob a drug store in Chinatown have pleaded guilty. Two of the robbers were employed as managers when the robberies occurred. According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Columbia, 34-year-old Michael Robinson and 25-year-old Kemanye Williams pleaded guilty Tuesday to the string of robberies. Their co-conspirators, 27-year-old Gianni Robinson and 21-year-old London Teeter, pleaded guilty in February. Read Article #DistrictofColumbia #PharmacyBurglary/Robbery

Baton Rouge Man Falsely Holding Himself as a Medical Doctor Pleads Guilty to False Statements Relating to Health Care Matters

posted 03-10-2025
Acting United States Attorney April M. Leon announced that Samrat Mukherjee, 35, of Baton Rouge, Louisiana pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge John W. deGravelles to false statements relating to health care matters. Mukherjee’s conviction is punishable by a term of imprisonment of five years, a fine of up to $250,000, or twice the gross gain or loss, whichever is greater, and a term of supervised release of three years. According to admissions made as a part of his guilty plea, Mukherjee was a licensed paramedic who worked for Acadian Ambulance Service, Inc. Mukherjee did not attend or graduate from medical school. However, he admitted that while ...

Texas Pharmacist Sentenced to Over 17 Years in Prison and Ordered to Forfeit $405M in Assets for Defrauding the Department of Labor

posted 03-10-2025
Forfeiture Marks Largest-Ever Secured by the Department’s Health Care Fraud Unit On Feb. 21, Texas pharmacist Dehshid “David” Nourian, 62, of Plano, was sentenced to 17 years and six months in prison and ordered to pay over $115 million in restitution for his role in a $145 million scheme to defraud the Department of Labor through the submission of fraudulent claims for prescription compound creams. On March 6, the court also forfeited $405 million in assets tied to Nourian’s fraud and money laundering schemes. According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Nourian and others conspired to pay doctors to prescribe medically unnecessary compound ...

This powerful industrial chemical is being added to fentanyl found in the U.S. — but not in Canada

posted 03-03-2025
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s Phoenix office first identified the toxic chemical when testing fentanyl there last June. Now, they say it is 'very widespread. We've seized it all over the country' A powerful industrial chemical used in plastics has been found in large quantities of fentanyl in the U.S., but the same chemical hasn’t emerged in the Canadian illicit drug market, police say. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s Phoenix office first identified the toxic chemical bis (2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-4-piperidyl) sebacate, or BTMPS, when testing fentanyl there last June. Read Article #UnitedStates #Precursor #EmerginingDrugTrend ...

DEA finds tusi, or pink cocaine, is starting to appear in Colorado

posted 02-27-2025
As raids continue in Colorado, authorities are noticing a new drug that’s been found across the country in the past year, and is now in the state. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration Rocky Mountain Division has been seen making several arrests in the Denver Metro during raids. Along with finding new forms of fentanyl during these drug raids, the team has also been finding a new drug that’s known for its distinct color. Jonathan Pullen, the DEA special agent in charge for the Rocky Mountain Division, told FOX31’s Vicente Arenas that they’ve been finding tusi, or pink cocaine, in Colorado. Read Article #Colorado #EmerginingDrugTrend #Tus ...

Defendants Conspired to Fill Fake Prescriptions for Oxycodone Pills Written by a Doctor’s Receptionist and Distributed to Street Drug Dealers for Cash

posted 02-12-2025
Earlier today, a federal jury in Brooklyn returned guilty verdicts against licensed pharmacists Yousef Ennab and Mohamed Hassan on all counts of a superseding indictment charging them with conspiracies to dispense and distribute oxycodone, as well as distribution and possession with intent to distribute oxycodone. The verdict followed a three-week trial before United States District Judge Ann M. Donnelly. When sentenced, the defendants each face up to 60 years in prison. John J. Durham, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York; Frank A. Tarentino III, Special Agent in Charge, Drug Enforcement Administration, New York Division (DEA); ...

Four Pharmacists Sentenced for Roles in $13M Medicare, Medicaid, and Private Insurer Fraud Conspiracy

posted 02-06-2025
Four pharmacy owners have been sentenced for their roles in a conspiracy to commit health care fraud and wire fraud. Pharmacist Raef Hamaed, of Maricopa County, Arizona, was sentenced on Jan. 8 to 10 years in prison; pharmacist Tarek Fakhuri, of Windsor, Ontario, Canada, was sentenced on Jan. 13 to seven years in prison; pharmacist Ali Abdelrazzaq, of Macomb County, Michigan, was sentenced on Jan. 15 to two years in prison; and pharmacist Kindy Ghussin, of Greene County, Ohio, was sentenced today to five years and five months in prison. Read Press Release #Arizona #Canada #HealthcareFraud #Michigan