Best practices for pharmacy security guidelines have been developed by the New Jersey State Board of Pharmacy and the state’s Attorney General to assist pharmacies in preventing drug theft and diversion. 

DEA is offering two regional one-day Pharmacy Diversion Awareness Conferences (PDAC) in Detroit, MI, one on Saturday, May 4, 2013, and another on Sunday, May 5, 2013. 

United Parcel Service (UPS) agreed to forfeit $40 million in payments received from online entities illegally selling and distributing prescription drug products.

To enhance the law enforcement community’s response to pharmaceutical crime around the world, INTERPOL has entered a landmark agreement with 29 pharmaceutical companies. 

Federal authorities seized $3.6 million-worth of counterfeit drug products from a warehouse in Columbia, SC. 

Aimed to reduce prescription drug abuse and diversion, legislation that would establish an expanded PMP in Pennsylvania is under consideration by state lawmakers. 

New York physician Felix Rodriguez pled guilty to the distribution of more than 1,000 oxycodone pills to individuals without legitimate medical need for the drug.

A Georgia bill (PDF) requiring pain management clinics to be physician-owned and licensed by the Georgia Composite Medical Board has passed in the state’s House of Representatives. 

Cooperation among international pharmacy regulatory agencies and tightening the United States drug distribution chain would help protect global public health from substandard and falsified drugs, indicates a new report from the Institute of Medicine (IOM).

Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is offering two regional one-day Pharmacy Diversion Awareness Conferences in Albuquerque, NM.

A Philadelphia doctor was sentenced to seven years in prison for charges related to a pill mill scheme that operated out of his office. 

NABP PMP InterConnect^®, the system that facilitates the secure transfer of prescription monitoring program (PMP) data across state lines to authorized users, continues to help prevent the diversion and abuse of prescription drugs. 

The National Association of Boards of Pharmacy^® (NABP^®) today issued a report outlining how continued collaboration among global stakeholders is vital to eliminating the public health threats posed by rogue Internet drug outlets. 

Andrew J. Strempler, a Canadian citizen, was sentenced to four years in prison for charges related to the operation of a Web site illegally marketing and distributing prescription drugs to US residents. 

The National Association of Boards of Pharmacy® (NABP®) today issued a report about the importance of collaboration among members of the international pharmacy community to protect patients worldwide from dangers posed by illegal online drug sellers. As described in the...

Sixteen defendants in California face charges related to illegally obtaining and distributing more than 900,000 OxyContin® pills. The defendants are charged with being part of a drug trafficking organization that distributed the pills, which were obtained in part through fraud...

The Medicine Abuse Project, a new initiative from the Partnership at Drugfree.org, aims to prevent half a million teens from abusing medicine within five years. The project features an educational Web site, public service announcements, videos, and fact sheets for...

The practice of doctor or pharmacy shopping to illegally obtain prescription drugs was linked to drug-related deaths in a study using data from West Virginia’s PMP. Researchers analyzed Schedule II through IV prescription data from the West Virginia Controlled Substance...

Educating teens about the realities of abusing drugs, including prescription drugs, will be the focus of the National Drug Facts Week (NDFW), a program of the NIDA. NDFW is a health observance week for teens that aims to shatter the...

Prescription monitoring programs (PMPs) in the states of Idaho, Louisiana, and South Dakota have executed a memorandum of understanding with NABP to participate in the NABP PMP InterConnect®, the system that facilitates the secure sharing of data between state PMPs,...

Targeting drug diversion by employees, Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine announced that investigative assistance will be offered to every nursing home, assisted living agency, and residential care facility in Ohio. The Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (MFCU) of the Ohio Attorney...

Luis Angel Garcia Torres, of Patillas, Puerto Rico, was convicted of 12 counts in relation to the trafficking of counterfeit goods, including the trafficking of counterfeit pharmaceutical drugs over the Internet. A Department of Justice news release indicates that Torres...

A multi-agency operation has resulted in charges against seven doctors and seven clinic owners on state racketeering violations related to the operation of illegal pain clinics throughout Florida. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) reports that the defendants “face 144 violations of...

Andrew J. Strempler, a Canadian citizen, was arrested by United States officials in Florida and faces charges relating to his operation of a Web site selling drug products to US residents including distribution of counterfeit and non-Food and Drug Administration...

Following a year-long investigation, 24 people have been indicted on charges related to the large scale manufacture and distribution of methamphetamine in central New York. The 24 individuals indicted have been charged with possession or distribution of pseudoephedrine (PSE) with...

Florida resident Joel Lester pleaded guilty to conspiring to possess with the intent to distribute synthetic marijuana on Friday, June 8, 2012, before the US District Judge Kenneth A. Marra. DEA reports that Lester owned Nature and Health, a business...

The United States Senate voted against the proposed amendment to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Safety and Innovation Act that would have allowed drug importation from Canadian pharmacies on May 24, 2012. The amendment failed in a vote of...

Prescription monitoring programs (PMPs) in Arizona and Kansas have gone live with the NABP PMP InterConnectSM, the system that facilitates the secure sharing of data between state PMPs, a key element for early detection, intervention, and prevention of substance abuse...

To help fight the growing prescription drug abuse epidemic, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is hosting the National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day this Saturday, April 28, 2012. On this day, from 10 AM to 2 PM, thousands of DEA-coordinated collection...

The South Dakota State Board of Pharmacy has implemented a prescription drug monitoring program (PDMP) designed to track the dispensing of controlled drugs. South Dakota is now one of 43 states using a PDMP in an effort to reduce the...

The Kentucky prescription monitoring program (PMP), known as the Kentucky All Schedule Prescription Electronic Reporting (KASPER) program, has executed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with NABP to participate in the NABP InterConnectSM, the system that facilitates the secure sharing of...

Prescription monitoring programs (PMPs) in North Dakota and South Carolina have gone live with the NABP PMP InterConnectSM, the system that facilitates the secure sharing of data between state PMPs, a key element for early detection, intervention, and prevention of...

A Delaware pharmacist will face charges related to the distribution of OxyContin® pills for sale to drug dealers, as reported by Delawareonline. The distribution scheme was uncovered by federal agents during an investigation in 2009 and the pharmacist, Bruce E....

Four former Connecticut pharmacy technicians were arrested on federal charges related to their alleged theft of prescription drugs from retail pharmacies where they worked, and the subsequent sale and distribution of the drugs. Specifically, Michael Hannon, Dorothy Grier, Kevin Winzer,...

A federal grand jury indicted 26 individuals, with allegations related to their involvement in a large scale prescription drug and health care fraud scheme associated with multiple pharmacies across Michigan. The 34-count indictment alleges that Babubhai “Bob” Patel, a Canton,...

A bill that would increase possible penalties in cases of pharmaceutical theft has been introduced in the United States Senate. According to one of the bill’s sponsors, Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH), the bill would increase possible sentences for pharmacy theft...

Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Office of Criminal Investigations (OCI) seeks information on the theft of GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) consumer health products stolen on January 9, 2011, while being transported from a GSK manufacturing facility in St Louis, MO, to a...

Three individuals in Florida have been indicted on charges that included the distribution of prescription drugs without a license, according to a United States Attorney’s Office Southern District of Florida press release. The charges allege that the three defendants, who...

Published in the December 2008 Delaware State Board of Pharmacy Newsletter Delaware has been inundated with pharmacy robberies in the past two years. As a reminder from past Newsletters, a robbery in the pharmacy setting might be one of the most...

Published in the January 2008 Oklahoma State Board of Pharmacy Newsletter Mid-Level Practitioner Update: Physician assistants (PA) may now prescribe for up to a 30-day supply of Schedule III to V if they have a mid-level Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)...

Published in the March 2007 New Mexico Board of Pharmacy Newsletter Lately, forged prescriptions for either large quantities or high strengths of both OxyContin® and Percocet® have been presented to be filled. The presenters are often young adults or juveniles...

Published in the October 2006 South Dakota State Board of Pharmacy Newsletter The South Dakota State Board of Pharmacy works closely with Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and South Dakota Department of Health, Health and Medical Services Division to prevent diversion...

Published in the August 2006 Missouri Board of Pharmacy Newsletter An issue that periodically surfaces deals with the security of drug inventories. Some pharmacies are using inventory crews and cleaning crews in the pharmacy. The Board has reports of situations...

Published in the July 2006 Nebraska Board of Pharmacy Newsletter Immediately upon discovery of a theft or significant loss of CS, a pharmacy must contact the nearest Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) field office by telephone, fax, or brief written message...