U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration Dateline DEA Update

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From: U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration <dea@govdelivery.com>
To: <guyperea@rocketmail.com>
Date: Friday, June 1, 2012 11:51:33 AM GMT-0500
Subject: U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration Dateline DEA Update

Dateline DEA

Drug Enforcement Administration's Biweekly E-mail Informant  

_May 18, 2012_ 

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*Top Stories from the DEA, May 5-18, 2012 * 

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*DEA Suspends Cardinal Health Distribution Facility: Cannot Sell Controlled Substances for Two Years* 

 

On May 15 the DEA announced a settlement agreement with Cardinal Health, a pharmaceutical wholesale distributor that suspends for two years its ability to sell controlled-substance medications from its Lakeland, Florida, distribution facility. In the agreement, Cardinal admits that its due diligence efforts for some pharmacy customers and its compliance with an earlier agreement signed in 2008 for similar violations at the same facility were, in certain respects, inadequate. The obligations of the agreement remain in full force and effect for a period of five years unless DEA agrees in writing to an earlier termination. The current settlement agreement also includes a signed Administrative Memorandum of Agreement whose terms apply to all Cardinal's 28 registered distribution facilities.

 

On February 3 of this year, DEA's Miami Field Division served an Immediate Suspension Order (ISO) against Cardinal Health's distribution center in Lakeland, Florida, alleging that this distribution center failed to maintain effective controls against the diversion of controlled substances, specifically oxycodone. It was not DEA's first action against Cardinal's Lakeland facility. In December 2007, DEA issued an ISO at the location as a result of its distribution of hydrocodone to 'rogue' internet pharmacies. That action, and similar actions at other Cardinal Health facilities across the United States, resulted in a $34 million fine.

 

Click Here to Read the DEA Press Release [ http://www.justice.gov/dea/pubs/pressrel/pr051512.html ]

 

Click Here to Read the Settlement Agreement [ http://www.justice.gov/dea/pubs/pressrel/cardinal_agreement.pdf ]

 

 

*Largest Controlled Substance Settlement in DEA History: $50 Million*

On May 11 the Justice Department reached a settlement with Omnicare in which the company will pay a record $50 million civil penalty to resolve claims its various pharmacy facilities improperly dispensed controlled substances to patients at long-term care facilities across the country. Omnicare is the nation's leading provider of pharmaceutical care for seniors, serving on a daily basis an estimated 1.4 million residents of skilled nursing, assisted living and other healthcare facilities.

 

The settlement resolves civil penalty claims made by the Justice Department that the company violated the Controlled Substances Act between 2007 and the present by:  

·         Routinely dispensing controlled substances to residents of long-term facilities without a prescription signed by a practitioner;  

·         In a limited emergency situation, dispensing controlled substances without an oral prescription called in by a practitioner;  

·         Dispensing controlled substances to residents of long-term facilities from prescriptions missing essential elements, such as drug name, dosage, strength, quantity, DEA registration number and practitioner's name;  

·         Not properly doucmenting partially filled prescriptions, thust prevengin DEA from conducting an audit.

DEA Administrator Leonhart said: "This case highlights the responsibilities of pharmacists, doctors and others when prescribing or dispensing controlled substances. DEA is committed to protecting the public health and safety by ensuring that those involved in dispensing prescription medications adhere to their responsibilities, and today's fine demonstrates what can happen when they fail to comply with the law."

 

Click Here to Read the DEA Press Release [ http://www.justice.gov/dea/pubs/states/newsrel/2012/det051112.html ]

 

 

*Four Sinaloa Cartel Figures Targeted, Including Sons of "Chapo" Guzman*

 

On May 8 the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control announced designations that prohibit United States persons from conducting financial or commercial transactions with four key Sinaloa Cartel operatives, including two sons of Sinaloa drug lord Joaquin "Chapo" Guzman Loera. This designation also freezes any assets they may have under the jurisdiction of the United States. 

 

"In order to put organizations like the Sinaloa Cartel out of business, we must continue to utilize every tool available to ensure that these criminal groups and their associates cannot exploit the U.S. financial system," said DEA Chief of Financial Operations John Arvanitis. "DEA is attacking the Sinaloa Cartel and other organizations at every level like never before, so they are put out of business and their leaders are brought to justice."

 

Click Here to Read the DEA Press Release [ http://www.justice.gov/dea/pubs/pressrel/pr050812.html ]

 

 

*Five Charged for Distributing Heroin That Led to Death of 21 Year Old in Oregon *

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Laurin Putnam, 21 of Keizer, Oregon was found dead on April 16, 2012 from an apparent heroin overdose. In the 96 hours following her death, investigators made numerous arrests and conducted searches in Washington County, Multnomah County, Marion County, and Vancouver, Washington, seizing over four pounds of heroin, additional quantities of methamphetamine and cocaine, two guns, and over $20,000. On May 4 federal indictments were announced of Sergio Quezada Lopez, 33, Braulio Acosta Mendoza, 34, Jose Romo Gonzalez, 22, Jose Aldan Soto, 30, and Julian Hernandez Castillo, 31, for conspiracy that resulted in the death of Putnam.

 

Together with other counts in the indictment the five defendants with a conspiracy to distribute heroin resulting in death. For any defendant convicted of a conspiracy to distribute heroin resulting in death and who has a prior felony drug conviction, the statutory mandatory minimum prison term is life with no possibility of release, and up to a $20,000,000 fine. For any defendant convicted of the same crime with no prior felony drug conviction, the mandatory minimum prison term is 20 years and up to a $10,000,000 fine. These indictments are part of a multi-state investigation that is ongoing.

 

Click Here to Read the DEA Press Release [ http://www.justice.gov/dea/pubs/states/newsrel/2012/sea050412.html ]

 

 

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*DID YOU KNOW?* 

 

Twenty-five years ago America was in the midst of the crack cocaine epidemic. Cocaine use escalated in part because of increasing supplies of the drug at a cheap price: in the mid-1980 one dosage unit of crack was selling for as low as $2.50. At the same time, the purity of cocaine was increasing, from 25 percent on average in 1981 to 70 percent in 1988. Florida was then (as it is now for prescription opioids) the epicenter of the problem, while nationwide between 1985 and 1987 the number of cocaine-related hospital admissions increased from 23,500 to 55,200. In one operation in 1987 5,000 pounds of cocaine stuffed into banana boxes in Chicago was seized by DEA, which was one of the largest domestic cocaine seizures up until that time. It would, however, soon be surpassed by others, most notably the Sylmar Seizure of 21.5 tons of cocaine in Sylmar, California two years later. For more information on the crack cocaine epidemic click here [ http://www.justice.gov/dea/pubs/history/1985-1990.pdf ] (p 59). For more information on the Sylmar seizure, click here [ http://www.justice.gov/dea/pubs/history/1985-1990.pdf ] (p 70).    

 

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