GENERAL INFORMATION

Acting Administrator Uttam Dhillon Promotes National Prescription Drug Take Back Day

January 22, 2025
… totally anonymous the goal here is just to collect the medications and destroy them in a safe and secure way."  "...if you don't need them [medications], if they're unwanted, if they're expired there …
January 22, 2025
DOCUMENT
|

Principal Deputy Administrator Delivers Remarks on National Health Care Fraud Enforcement Action

June 27, 2024
… to allow patients access to needed health services and medications without requiring an in-person visit. While this … important role by ensuring access and continuity of needed medical care to all Americans.   Read DOJ Press Release …
June 27, 2024
PRESS RELEASE

DEA to hold 20th National Prescription Drug Take Back Day

… in a record-high amount of expired, unused prescription medications, with the public turning in close to 500 tons of … in safely disposing their unused, expired or unwanted medications and more importantly in educating everyone about … everyone to clean out their medicine cabinets of any unused medications and get them turned in safely on April 24th.”    …
PRESS RELEASE

DEA Hosts the 29th National Prescription Drug Take Back Day on Saturday, October 25th

… dispose of unnecessary, expired, and unused prescription medications to help prevent prescription drug misuse and … with an easy, accessible way to rid their homes of medications that could pose a threat if misused – resulting …
GENERAL INFORMATION

Facts about Fentanyl

April 02, 2025
… 100 times more potent.  Under the supervision of a licensed medical professional, fentanyl has a legitimate medical use.  Patients prescribed fentanyl should be … overdose deaths.  Unless a drug is prescribed by a licensed medical professional and dispensed by a legitimate pharmacy, …
April 02, 2025
PRESS RELEASE

Columbus, OH Doctor Pleads Guilty To Conspiracy To Distribute Oxycodone

… Dragash was employed as a physician at Columbus Southern Medical Clinic located at 2912 South High Street, Columbus, … long distances for the sole purpose of obtaining pain medications to support their drug addictions.  Based on the …
PRESS RELEASE

Veterans Affairs Employees Charged With Stealing And Selling Prescription Drugs

… (VA) employees with conspiring to steal prescription medications, including opioids, from the VA John L. … that Patel, a pharmacy technician, used his VA access to a medical supplier’s web portal to order and divert 4,000 …
PRESS RELEASE

DEA Moves To Emergency Control Synthetic Stimulants

… unsafe, highly abused substances with no currently accepted medical use in the United States. “This imminent action by … not been approved by the FDA for human consumption or for medical use, and there is no oversight of the manufacturing … to temporarily schedule an abused, harmful, non-medical substance in order to avoid an imminent hazard to …
PRESS RELEASE

Chemicals Used In "Bath Salts” Now Under Federal Control And Regulation

… and a lack of accepted safety for use of the drug under medical supervision. Over the past several months, there has … not been approved by the FDA for human consumption or for medical use, and there is no oversight of the manufacturing … to temporarily schedule an abused, harmful, non-medical substance in order to avoid an imminent hazard to …
PRESS RELEASE

Elk Grove Man Sentenced To 11 Years In Prison For Distribution Of Prescription Pills And Heroin

… reports in 2014 that Mathews was purchasing prescription medications from individuals in the Sacramento area. At the … quantities of methamphetamine, heroin, and prescription medications. Agents also found a large number of firearms … United States Marshals Service, the California Bureau of Medi-Cal Fraud and Elder Abuse, the Sacramento Police …
PRESS RELEASE

Bakersfield Doctor Indicted For Illegally Distributing Controlled Substances

… and practiced medicine at the Central Valley Occupational Medical Group in Bakersfield. According to the indictment, … distributed the painkiller hydrocodone for no legitimate medical purpose and outside the usual course of professional …
PRESS RELEASE

UW Medicine Resident Physician at Seattle Children’s Hospital Charged for Diverting Fentanyl

… 35, a resident physician at the University of Washington Medical School who worked at Seattle Children’s Hospital, UW Medicine, and Harborview Medical Center is charged with two counts of Acquiring a … Hospital, as well as the University of Washington Medical Center, and Harborview Medical Center, going back to …
PRESS RELEASE

DEA Recognizes National Fentanyl Awareness Day on April 29

… see fentanyl in fake pills made to look like prescription medications including oxycodone (Percocet®), alprazolam … (Xanax®) and hydrocodone (Vicodin ®). The only safe medications are ones that come from licensed and accredited medical professionals. Social media and encrypted …
PRESS RELEASE

Queens Pharmacy Owner Sentenced to 36 Months in Prison for Health Care Fraud and Narcotics Distribution

… pharmacist and was not permitted to dispense prescription medications to patients. Hussnain operated the pharmacy on a daily basis, dispensing prescription medications for years with no medical oversight, including controlled substances and over …
PRESS RELEASE

Former Long Island Doctor Pleads Guilty to conspiring to illegally distribute oxycodone

… federal court in Central Islip, Tameshwar Ammar, a former medical doctor in Roslyn, New York, pleaded guilty via … John Doe 1 and John Doe 2. According to a review of Ammar’s medical files for the two individuals, Ammar wrote the … without any diagnostic proof that either had a legitimate medical necessity. Ammar prescribed oxycodone pills to John …
PRESS RELEASE

Montgomery Nurse Practitioner receives 10-year sentence

… 2016, Akwuba worked at Family Practice, a Montgomery medical practice located at 4143 Atlanta Highway.  Her … too many of us have been touched by this crisis of over-medication,” stated United States Attorney Franklin.  “It is …
PRESS RELEASE

St. Louis Area Pediatrician Indicted, Accused of Exchanging Prescriptions for Sex Acts

… and sexual photographs, without regard for the patient’s medical condition or the medical necessity of the prescription. In many cases, … that beginning in 2021, Bingham, who did not have any medical training or a Drug Enforcement Administration …
PRESS RELEASE

Catskill physician receives 54 months in prison for distribution of opioids, health care fraud, aggravated identify theft, and obstruction of justice

… and hydromorphone to third parties, for no legitimate medical purpose, and then instructed a co-conspirator, Sarah … was complicit in the scheme to distribute opioids for no medical purpose, and agreed to pay Brown for false testimony … hope of minimizing her criminal exposure and preserving her medical license. Mabry surrendered her New York medical …
PRESS RELEASE

DEA holds 18th National Prescription Drug Take Back Day this Saturday, October 26, 2019

… 682-6256 Locations will accept unused/unwanted prescription medications and electronic vaping devices and cartridges NEW … Back Initiative helps get unused and unwanted prescription medications out of circulation and ensures their safe …
PRESS RELEASE

Doctor Sentenced for Health Care Fraud and Money Laundering

… patients without regard to whether such prescriptions were medically indicated. RANDALL then required his patients to … accountable.” “Physicians and other providers who authorize medically unnecessary drugs and services undermine the …
PRESS RELEASE

Court Orders North Carolina Pharmacy to Pay $500,000 Penalty and Enters Injunction to Prevent Filling Illegal Controlled Substance Prescriptions

… prescribing, including one doctor who the North Carolina Medical Board had barred from prescribing controlled … to only dispense prescriptions for a legitimate medical purpose,” said Special Agent in Charge Robert J. …
PRESS RELEASE

Jacksonville Pharmacist, Pharmacy Owner Admit to Charges Related to Illegally Filling Drug Prescriptions Issued by South Georgia Doctor

… to dispense controlled substances without a legitimate medical purpose and not in the usual course of professional … the federal system. “Dispensing addictive prescription pain medication under the guise of a doctor’s care puts greed … and hydrocodone, among other drugs, for no legitimate medical purpose and outside the usual course of professional …
PRESS RELEASE

DEA announces “360 Strategy” in the SouthCoast region of Massachusetts to address fentanyl, heroin, prescription drugs and violent crime

… Brian O’Keefe 508-509-1844 Brian.OKeefe@dea.gov Diversion/Medical Practitioner: 571-362-9171 Division Contacts … and to push for responsible prescribing and use of these medications. Community Outreach by partnering with medical …
PRESS RELEASE

Six individuals indicted in $48 million health care fraud conspiracy at drug rehabilitation centers in Northern Ohio

… and alcohol recovery services which were not provided, not medically necessary, lacked proper documentation, or had … hours of treatment daily, even if the services were not medically necessary; billing for in-patient detox and drug …
PRESS RELEASE

Two South Denver pharmacists plead guilty to felony charges of illegally distributing opioids

… practice and for a purpose other than a legitimate medical purpose. Specifically, on Sept. 13, 2012, Callas … have known these prescriptions were not for a legitimate medical purpose. Callas also filled additional prescriptions … practice and for a purpose other than a legitimate medical purpose. Based on the numbers of dosage units and …
PRESS RELEASE

New Orleans Field Division Collects Over 29,000 Pounds On Ninth Prescription Drug Take-Back DayNew Disposal Rules Now In Effect Provide For Convenient, Ongoing Disposal Opportunities For Patients’ Unwanted Pharmaceuticals; Law Enforcement Agencies May

… by an effective collaboration among law enforcement, the medical community, and the public to identify and stop those … Keith Brown.                         Unused prescription medications in homes create a public health and safety … Americans died in 2011 from overdoses of prescription medications, including 16,651 from narcotic painkillers, …
PRESS RELEASE

Palm Beach, Broward And Martin County Pill Mills And Pharmacies Are Shut Down

… those conducting business outside the course of accepted medical practice.” U.S. Attorney Wifredo A. Ferrer stated, … living dealing in prescription drugs, while hiding behind a medical license.  Working  with our federal and local … of the patient, outside the usual course of professional medical practice, and not for a legitimate medical need.  …
PRESS RELEASE

Doctor Charged In Manhattan Federal Court For Illegal Distribution Of Millions Of Oxycodone Pills

… Lambrakis, a state licensed doctor who wrote thousands of medically unnecessary prescriptions for oxycodone, totaling … a prolific and dangerous drug dealer.  He allegedly pumped medically unnecessary oxycodone pills into our communities, …
PRESS RELEASE

Long Island Doctor Pleads Guilty To Conspiracy To Distribute Oxycodone

… knew were addicts and without performing any meaningful medical examination. When sentenced, Conway faces up to 20 … by the DEA revealed that neither man received meaningful medical examinations from Conway. The files for these and … to protect our communities.” “Instead of providing needed medical services to his community, Dr. Conway directly …
PRESS RELEASE

Hagerstown Pharmacist Pleads Guilty To Health Care Fraud For Improperly Billing Medicare And Medicaid

… that Russo knew were not written for a legitimate medical purpose. The guilty plea was announced by United … that he knew were issued outside of the legitimate medical course and fraudulently billed Medicare and Medicaid … drugs, including oxycodone and methadone, are approved for medical use and also have a very high abuse potential.  They …