Baltimore, MD — Drug City Pharmacy, Inc. and its former owner, Mark Lichtman, are out $900,000 after admitting to systematically funneling controlled substances to individuals they knew or should have known were diverting drugs for illegal use. The payout settles federal allegations that the pharmacy violated the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) by dispensing powerful narcotics based on prescriptions lacking legitimate medical purpose.
U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein and DEA Special Agent in Charge Karl C. Colder announced the settlement today, drawing a direct line between reckless pharmacy practices and the opioid epidemic ravaging Maryland communities. “Pharmacies and pharmacists are responsible for making sure controlled substances prescriptions were issued for legitimate medical purposes,” Rosenstein said. “Doctors and pharmacists are the gatekeepers in preventing abuse and diversion of pharmaceutical drugs for non-medical purposes.”
Colder didn’t mince words: “The abuse of prescription drugs has rampantly spread throughout our communities. This abuse has directly resulted in the escalation of heroin addiction and related overdoses.” The DEA official emphasized that the settlement sends a warning shot across the bow of any pharmacy playing fast and loose with federal regulations. “DEA is dedicated to combat the prescription drug abuse problem in Maryland and throughout the country and to hold pharmacies and its owners like Drug City and Lichtman, accountable.”
Under federal law, pharmacies must ensure every controlled substance prescription is issued for a legitimate medical need by a licensed provider operating in the usual course of practice. Knowingly filling illegitimate prescriptions opens the door to civil penalties under the CSA. The settlement confirms that from January 1, 2010, to April 4, 2012, Drug City and Lichtman dispensed opioids and other controlled substances in ways that ignored their compliance duties—despite red flags signaling patient diversion.
The case emerged from a broader DEA crackdown targeting prescription drug abuse in Maryland. Investigators zeroed in on patterns of high-volume dispensing, suspicious patient behavior, and inadequate recordkeeping—hallmarks of a pharmacy functioning as a conduit rather than a caretaker. Drug City and Lichtman admitted they failed to implement proper safeguards, allowing controlled substances to flow unchecked into illicit channels.
U.S. Attorney Rosenstein credited the DEA’s Office of Diversion Control, Washington Division, Baltimore District Office, for its relentless work on the investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Thomas F. Corcoran handled the case for the government. The $900,000 settlement marks another strike in the federal campaign to hold medical providers and pharmacists accountable for fueling the nation’s drug crisis—one pill, one prescription, one pharmacy at a time.
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Key Facts
- State: Maryland
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking
- Source: Official Source ↗
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