United States Drug Enforcement Administration

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Cole Dixon Moore, 36, of Moore, South Carolina, was sentenced yesterday to two years in prison for illegally distributing oxycodone pills, announced Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. 

Jae W. Chung, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Atlanta Field Division of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), which oversees the Charlotte District Office, and Chief Trent Conard of the Gastonia Police Department, join U.S. Attorney Ferguson in making today’s announcement. 

“Oxycodone on the streets has ruined lives and communities,” said U.S. Attorney Russ Ferguson. “A licensed pharmacist should not be supplying street dealers and making the problem worse. I am proud of the work of my office in investigating this case, even without all the reporting required by pharmacies.” 

According to documents filed with the court, Moore was a licensed pharmacist working at Prescription Plus pharmacy in Gastonia. Law enforcement initiated an investigation into Moore after receiving information that he was selling large quantities of the sedative alprazolam, as well as quantities of the highly addictive and commonly abused narcotic pain medication oxycodone, to a pharmacy customer who did not have a prescription for the drugs. Court documents show that Moore was aware the customer was reselling these pills on the street and, at times, even suggested the price the customer should charge per pill. Investigators also determined that Moore routinely demanded a cut of the customer’s sales, specifically, that Moore had an arrangement with the customer where the customer would pay a portion of the cost of the pills to Moore up front and then pay the balance owed once the drugs were sold. Moore admitted to stealing the pills that he sold from the pharmacy’s stock supply. During the investigation, law enforcement recovered at least 1,500 oxycodone and alprazolam pills that Moore had sold to the customer without a prescription. According to court records, Moore made over $20,000 selling the prescription pills over the course of a few months. 

During his pronouncement of Moore’s sentence, U.S. District Judge David C. Norton cited the well-known devastation caused by the plague of oxycodone in this country. In addition to the prison term imposed, Judge Norton ordered Moore to a term of supervised release. Moore has also forfeited approximately $20,000 in proceeds. 

In February, Prescriptions Plus agreed to pay $204,000 to resolve allegations that it violated the recordkeeping requirements of the Controlled Substances Act by failing to adequately monitor the conduct of its staff pharmacist and failing to keep complete and accurate records regarding the receipt and distribution of controlled substances, which negligently enabled the illegal distribution of oxycodone and alprazolam by its staff pharmacist. 

The DEA and the Gastonia Police Department investigated the case. 

Assistant U.S. Attorney Katherine Armstrong with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte prosecuted the government’s criminal case against Moore and Assistant U.S. Attorney Holly Snow handled the civil enforcement action against Prescriptions Plus.