Grant County Doc Guilty of 173 Drug Charges

COVINGTON, Ky. — A grim milestone in the war against drug trafficking was reached today as 69-year-old physician Sundiata El-Amin faced justice for his role in a massive scheme that saw him dispense over 300,000 oxycodone tablets without medical merit. The Covington federal jury convicted El-Amin of 173 counts of drug offenses, including conspiracy and illegal distribution.

Following a grueling six-day trial, the jury agreed that El-Amin, who operated the El-Amin Clinic in Grant County, conspired with his office manager, Wendy Price, to flood the region with opioids. Evidence presented at the trial indicated that the defendant’s actions were not only illegal but also directly contributed to the ongoing opioid crisis.

El-Amin was indicted in December 2015, and his office manager entered a guilty plea in February 2018 for conspiring with him. United States Attorney Robert M. Duncan, Jr., delivered a scathing critique of El-Amin’s actions, stating that the doctor chose profit over medical judgment and did immense harm to individuals struggling with addiction and communities affected by the crisis.

The jury’s guilty verdict was announced jointly by U.S. Attorney Duncan and Timothy J. Plancon, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Detroit Division. The investigation was spearheaded by the DEA, with Assistant U.S. Attorneys Laura Voorhees and Tony Bracke representing the United States in court.

El-Amin is set to be sentenced on July 26, 2017. Each count carries a maximum sentence of 20 years, but the final sentence will be determined by the Court’s consideration of U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and federal statutes.

This conviction serves as a stark reminder that even those in positions of trust can turn to darkness for personal gain, and it underscores the government’s commitment to tackling the opioid epidemic head-on.

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