Two Nigerian-born Pharmacists Indicted in $9.6m Prescription Drug Scheme

Two Nigerian-born pharmacists have been indicted by a US court for their involvement in the illegal distribution of addictive drugs, according to a report in the Cable online.

Both Enitan Sodiya-Ogundipe, 42, and Abiodun Fabode, 56, were said to have conspired with Amir Rafi, another pharmacist, and Vasan Deshikachar, a medical doctor, to distribute more than 344,737 dosage units of Schedule II opioid prescriptions to vendors who sell them on the streets. The controlled drugs were said to have a street value in excess of $9,600,000. The scheme ran from January 2015 through March 2018.

Deshikachar is accused of prescribing oxycodone and oxymorphone, two of the most addictive opioids, to vendors who would take the fake patients to pharmacies owned by Sodiya- Ogundipe, Rafi and Fabode where the drugs are dispensed.

Commenting on the case, Jeff Sessions, US attorney-general, said: “It’s incredible but true that we have seen that some of our trusted doctors, pharmacists, and medical professionals have chosen to violate their oaths and exploit our unprecedented drug crisis for profit.

“Last summer, I sent a dozen of our top federal prosecutors to focus solely on the problem of opioid-related health care fraud in places where the epidemic was at its worst - including Eastern Michigan.

“In this case, three pharmacists and one doctor allegedly conspired to distribute nearly $10 million worth of opioids into the community, potentially spreading addiction and causing untold damage to Michigan families.