Sweeping DEA operation targeted drug trafficking organization and the arrests of 43 people

~ Investigation linked to 200 pharmacy burglaries and stolen prescription medications in 31 states. ~

U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)has seen an increase in burglaries at independent pharmacies across the country. Nearly 900 burglaries involving the theft of controlled substances were reported to the DEA in 2023. Stolen prescription medications adversely impact these small businesses, while also putting patients and the community at risk.

In the Eastern District of Arkansas on August 29, 2024, representatives from DEA joined the U.S. Attorney’s Office to announce the results of a 21-month investigation into a Houston, Texas-based drug trafficking organization (DTO) responsible for hundreds of pharmacy burglaries across the country.

The culmination of this investigation led to the arrest of an additional 24 members of the DTO during July 2024 in Houston, bringing the total number of people facing charges connected to this drug ring to 42 people. The results of the first phase of this operation, with 18 arrests, were announced in December 2023.

The DEA’s Little Rock, Arkansas District Office led the investigation after it identified a string of pharmacy burglaries and thefts of pharmaceutical medications throughout Arkansas. With the assistance of the DEA’s Special Operations Division, this organization has been linked to more than 200 pharmacy burglaries across the United States, which occurred in the following 31 states: Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, and Wyoming.

Oxycodone, hydrocodone, alprazolam, and promethazine with codeine cough syrup were among the most common controlled substances stolen and transported to Houston to be sold illegally.

"From November 2023 to July 2024, the DEA, with its law enforcement partners, took down 42 individuals behind nearly 200 pharmacy burglaries in 31 states. This Houston-based network targeted rural pharmacies, stealing powerful drugs like Oxycodone, Xanax, and Adderall to flood the streets," said Administrator Anne Milgram. "These criminals even crawled on floors to dodge security, but they couldn't escape us. We dismantled their entire operation-street dealers, burglars, and all. In the fight against the opioid epidemic, the DEA is relentless in shutting down those who profit from fueling addiction."

To help protect against pharmacy burglaries, the DEA has released a safety alert video at youtube.com/watch?v=qKpO7YY5YP0 and additional resources at deadiversion.usdoj.gov/pharmacy.html?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery.

This operation is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at justice.gov/OCDETF.

Preventing the Diversion of Controlled Substances

The DEA is responsible for preventing, detecting, and investigating the diversion of controlled substances and listed chemicals, as well as regulating the nearly two million DEA registrants that manufacture, distribute, import or export controlled substances. Under the authority of the controlled substances laws and regulations of the United States, DEA uses a range of tools, including both criminal and administrative penalties, to protect communities from the harms of illegally distributed controlled substances.

Recent notable actions against DEA registrants to ensure the safety and health of Americans include:

• In August 2024, charges were announced against two doctors, Dr. Salvador Plasencia and Dr. Mark Chavez, and three others in connection to the death of actor Matthew Perry. Dr. Plasencia is charged with seven counts of distribution of ketamine and two counts of altering and falsifying documents or records related to a federal investigation. Dr. Chavez has agreed to plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine. At the time of the announcement DEA Administrator Anne Milgram said, “Matthew Perry’s journey began with unscrupulous doctors who abused their position of trust because they saw him as a payday, to street dealers who gave him ketamine in unmarked vials.”

• In July 2024, Rite Aid Corporation agreed to a settlement following DEA’s claims that it knowingly dispensed hundreds of thousands of unlawful prescriptions for controlled substances, including excessive quantities of opioids.

• In June 2024, Ruthia He, the founder and CEO of DONE Global, Inc., and David Brody, the clinical president of DONE Health, were arrested on charges of allegedly operating an online telehealth website that distributed Adderall and other stimulants in exchange for a monthly subscription fee. At the time of the arrests, Administrator Milgram said, “Diversion of Adderall and other prescription stimulants pills to persons who have no medical need only exacerbates the [stimulant] shortage and hurts any American with a legitimate medical need for the drug.” Several associates of DONE are also facing charges for their alleged participation in the scheme.

• In February 2024, DEA announced a settlement with pharmaceutical distributor Morris & Dickson Co., LLC, for failing to maintain effective controls against drug diversion and for failing to report thousands of suspicious orders for oxycodone and hydrocodone.

• In October 2023, DEA announced Operation Bottleneck, which resulted in administrative actions against six DEA-registered companies. Collectively, the companies failed to account for more than a million doses of opioids. “These companies have a legal obligation to account for every dose and every pill to protect the safety and health of the American people,” Administrator Milgram said in a statement.

• In December 2022, the DEA served an Order to Show Cause on Truepill, a retail pharmacy alleged to have wrongfully filled thousands of prescriptions for stimulants used in the treatment of Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Last year, DEA announced it reached a settlement agreement with Truepill after the company accepted responsibility for operating an unregistered online pharmacy.

In addition to these actions, the DEA’s ongoing diversion prevention efforts include:

• Since 2021, DEA has hosted Virtual Diversion Awareness Trainings (VDATs) available to all DEA-registered practitioners, including doctors, veterinarians, dentists, physician assistants, and nurse practitioners. The VDAT is designed to provide practitioners with important information, key resources, and tools to assist in the prevention of prescription drug diversion. To date, DEA has trained more than 45,000 registrants who attended the VDATs.

• Since 2011, DEA has provided in-person and virtual drug diversion training opportunities to more than 32,000 pharmacists nationwide. These trainings help pharmacists identify signs of drug diversion and provide resources to help protect them from theft. In addition, DEA participates in and provides training for the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy and other national and state pharmacy associations.

• Since 2010, DEA’s National Prescription Drug Take Back Initiative has removed nearly 18.6 million pounds of unneeded prescription medications from communities. Removing unneeded medications from the home significantly reduces the opportunity for theft and misuse. DEA launched its newest diversion prevention campaign, Make Every Day Take Back Day, in December 2023 to encourage the use of the nearly 17,000 year-round disposal sites across the country.

For more information on DEA’s diversion prevention efforts and resources, visit the DEA Diversion Control Division at usdoj.gov.