Pharmacist jailed for selling opiate cancer drugs on black market

A PHARMACIST who sold drugs worth £280,000 on the black market has been jailed for more than two years.

Jaspar Ojela, of Bustleholme Lane, West Bromwich, illegally supplied opiate painkillers, tranquilisers and medications intended for the treatment of cancer during an eightmonth period.

Ojela, 56, was given a 28-month prison sentence at Wolverhampton Crown Court.

The court heard that the cancer medications were considered valuable on the black market, as they are abused by bodybuilders to counteract the unwanted effects of other hormone medications.

Ojela was caught after the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) was tipped off by A1 Pharma, a UK-based pharmaceutical wholesaler, reported that during an audit they found that the sale of medicines classified as ‘controlled drugs’ had not been recorded. This led to an investigation where that evidence suggested that the drugs, including Diazepam, Zolpidem and Zopiclone, were purchased by criminal groups.

These groups then illegally diverted medicines from the regulated supply chain by cloning the identity of genuine pharmaceutical companies located overseas and licensed pharmacies. The investigation proved that Ojela was part of this scheme after evidence found that he had purchased more than the normal amount that could be legitimately dispensed by a pharmacy against prescription.

While being interviewed by the police, Ojela admitted he was responsible for purchasing drugs in order to divert the supply of medicines from the regulated market to others operating within the black market. He was paid by those associates operating in the black market.

Between February and September 2016 Ojela illegally supplied over 200,000 doses of these drugs to criminal associates through two different wholesalers.

The MHRA is also taking court action against Ojela to recover the proceeds of his offending.

The General Pharmaceutical Council, which is responsible for the professional regulation of registered pharmacists, is also pursuing disciplinary proceedings against Ojela.