Pharmacist Convicted of Illegally Distributing 300 Opioids a Day Is Sentenced to 14 Years in Prison

A Texas pharmacist and a clinic owner were sentenced to years-long prison terms after being convicted of illegally distributing over 160,000 opioid pills.

EDITOR’S PICKS

• ‘Supreme Court Has Failed Nigerians’ – PDP Reacts As To Tinubu’s Victory

• ‘Supreme Court Verdict Is A Re-affirmation Of People’s Choice’ – Yahaya Bello Congratulates Tinubu On Victory

• Supreme Court Ruling: ‘They Will Wait Till 2031’ – Ganduje Mocks Obi, Atiku

Houston pharmacist and owner of Cornerstone RX Pharmacy, Sokari “Momma” Bobmanuel, 63, was sentenced to 14 years in prison Wednesday for illegally selling oxycodone and hydrocodone. She used prescriptions issued by co-conspirator Jonathan Rosenfield, M.D., who worked at two “pill-mill” clinics, according to the Department of Justice.

Alantha Stewart, 42, who co-owned the clinics, called Sunnyside Medical, was also sentenced to 10 years in prison after pleading guilty.

From May 2018 to August 2019, the operation raked in approximately $5.4 million from the sale of the prescriptions, which were filled at Cornerstone pharmacy, often for as much as $1,200 for a single bottle. These pills would then end up for sale on the illicit drug market, authorities say.

The operation sold approximately 752,000 pills of oxycodone and 419,000 pills of hydrocodone, according to court documents over just 16 months. The 160,000 total pills sold averages to around 300 illegal pills distributed each day over that time period.

Dr. Rosenfeld has pleaded guilty and will be sentenced Nov. 15.

The Houston clinics and pharmacy are part of a larger network in several states of at least 41 doctors, medical providers, clinic owners, pharmacists, drug dealers and traffickers that have been indicted in the illegal distribution of 23 million oxycodone, hydrocodone and carisoprodol pills, the DEA announced in August.

“The DEA and our numerous law enforcement partners will not sit silently while drug dealers wearing lab coats conspire with street dealers to flood our communities with over 23 million dangerous and highly addictive pills ,” Special Agent in Charge Will R. Glaspy of the DEA’s Houston Division said in a press conference in 2019.

FURTHER READING  

• Kwankwaso Visits Ahmad Lawan In Abuja, Offers Condolences Over Mother’s Death

• Ondo Deputy Governor Seeks Reconciliation With Akeredolu, Calls For End To Crisis

• Presidential Election: Seyi Tinubu Arrives Supreme Court Ahead Of Judgement

More than 70,000 Americans died of opioid overdose in 2022, fueling a record-breaking drug epidemic in the U.S.

Credit: newsbreak.com

Click to watch our video of the week    

---

Advertise or Publish a Story on EkoHot Blog:

Kindly contact us at [email protected]. Breaking stories should be sent to the above email and substantiated with pictorial evidence.

Citizen journalists will receive a token as data incentive.

Call or Whatsapp: 0803 561 7233, 0703 414 5611