Pharmacy Tech Sentenced to 5 Years in Prison for Tampering with Opioids
A federal judge today sentenced a former lead technician at a central Alabama pharmacy to five years in prison for tampering with vials of opioid painkillers used in the compounding of intravenous fluid bags intended for terminally ill patients in debilitating pain.
Birmingham, AL – May 24, 2024
Jonathan William Click, 30, of Bessemer, was sentenced on one-count of tampering with consumer products in reckless disregard for the risk that another person would be placed in danger of death or bodily injury, and under circumstances manifesting extreme indifference to that risk. Click pleaded guilty to the charge in November.
“Jonathan Click knew he was inflicting untold pain and suffering on terminally ill cancer patients, yet for two years he diluted their medication and took the opioid drugs for himself,” U.S. Attorney Jay E. Town said. “Mr. Click is going to prison for his crime, and he will be joined shortly by those like him.”
Click worked at Birmingham-based ContinuumRx of Central Alabama, which primarily distributes IV bags containing morphine and hydromorphone for palliative care of patients in hospice or homecare. The majority of CRX’s patients were terminally ill with cancer and suffering breakthrough pain. Click, as the lead pharmacy technician, prepared the vast majority of CRX’s IV bags, which helped safeguard his scheme, according to court documents.
Between December 2014 and September 2016, when CRX ended Click’s employment, he removed morphine sulfate and hydromorphone hydrochloride from vials intended for use in mixing IV bags. He diluted the vials to hide his theft, knowing that patients in excruciating pain would receive the diluted pain medication, according to the government’s sentencing memorandum. The document states that Click stole the medication so he could feed his opioid addiction.
Key Facts
- State: Alabama
- Category: Drug Trafficking
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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