A Tampa-area pharmacy has been ordered to shut down and its owners and employees prohibited from ever handling controlled substances after a federal court found them guilty of unlawful opioid distribution.
According to a federal court in Florida, WeCare Pharmacy, owned by Qingping Zhang, was involved in repeatedly dispensing highly addictive and highly abused prescription opioids while ignoring ‘red flags’ of drug diversion and drug-seeking behavior.
The court’s decision, which includes a permanent injunction and dissolution of the pharmacy, was made after the US government filed a civil complaint earlier this year alleging the defendants had violated the Controlled Substances Act.
Acting Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton of the Justice Department’s Civil Division said, ‘Pharmacists and those who own and operate pharmacies have a duty to ensure that controlled substances are distributed lawfully.’
Acting US Attorney Karin Hoppmann for the Middle District of Florida stated, ‘Failure to comply with professional standards and protocols while dispensing controlled substances places the public at risk of harm and is a violation of the law.’
The investigation was conducted by the DEA, with the case being handled by Trial Attorneys Scott Dahlquist and Thomas Rosso of the Civil Division’s Consumer Protection Branch and Assistant US Attorney Sean P. Keefe for the Middle District of Florida.
Related Federal Cases
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Key Facts
- State: Florida
- Category: Drug Trafficking
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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