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Pill Mill Scheme Exposed in Texas
Forty-six defendants, including two doctors, a nurse practitioner, and five pharmacists, have been convicted of operating an $18 million pill mill scheme in Texas, announced Acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Prerak Shah.
They were arrested in 2020 by the DEA’s Fort Worth Tactical Diversion Squad in “Operation Wasted Daze.”
The lead defendant, 61-year-old oncologist Caesar Mark Capistrano, was charged with multiple counts of conspiracy to dispense hydrocodone and possession with intent to distribute hydrocodone or carisoprodol. He and five coconspirators – pharmacists Ethel Oyekunle-Bubu, Wilkinson Oloyede Thomas, and Christopher Kalejaiye Ajayi as well as recruiter Brian Kincade and recruit Alphonse Fisher – were convicted at trial. The remaining 41 defendants pleaded guilty prior to trial.
The scheme operated over a nine-year span, with Dr. Capistrano issuing prescriptions for more than 524,000 doses of hydrocodone, 430,000 doses of carisoprodol, 77,000 doses of alprazolam, and 2.07 million doses of promethazine with codeine. Dr. Noel issued prescriptions for more than 200,000 doses of hydrocodone, 55,000 doses of carisoprodol, 14,000 doses of alprazolam, and 450,000 doses of promethazine with codeine.
“Pill mills funnel potentially deadly opiates onto our streets, wreaking havoc in communities beset by addiction,” said U.S. Attorney Prerak Shah. “The doctors, pharmacists, and clinic staff convicted in this case violated not only medical ethics, but federal law as well. We are proud to bring them to justice, and we remain committed to fighting the opioid epidemic where it matters most – at the point of entry.”
Medical professionals convicted in the scheme include:
– Caesar Mark Capistrano, conspiracy to dispense hydrocodone and possession with intent to distribute hydrocodone or carisoprodol
Key Facts
- State: Texas
- Category: Drug Trafficking
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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