University of Miami employee charged with prescription drug crime

A Florida man was recently arrested at his place of work and accused of costing the University of Miami over $14 million over a three year period. The charges against him in relation to the alleged prescription drug crime include two counts of trafficking in contraband prescription drugs, four counts of grand theft and one count of dealing in stolen property. Police say that the man took cancer drugs from UM and sold them to another individual.

Florida investigators say that they have evidence that the UM employee repeatedly stole valuable cancer drugs such as Neulasta and Aloxi. In fact, they say, they have videotape of the accused removing the drugs from a refrigerator and putting them in his pocket. When confronted about the removal, the man produced vials containing $12,416 worth of medication from his lab coat.

After the man was arrested and charged with prescription drug crime, he apparently gave police details regarding his sales activities. He also cooperated with police in multiple attempts to observe the illegal transfer of the drugs to the alleged buyer. However, after several failed attempts to meet with or contact the buyer, those efforts were halted.

For many at the University of Miami the issue of a marked lack of security surrounding valuable prescription drugs is concerning. In fact, some reports suggest that while the man in this case may claim responsibility for some instances of prescription drug crime, he was certainly not the only one with easy access to the powerful drugs. To date, there is little indication that the accused was the only one responsible for the more than $14 million in drugs missing from the UM facility. As a result, his criminal defense may focus on the fact that virtually anyone working at the pharmacy could have also stolen drugs. In addition, because he was willing to help the authorities identify the buyer, his cooperation may also be leveraged in his favor in court.

Source: The Miami Herald, “How did $14 million in drugs vanish from a UM pharmacy?,” John Dorschner, Aug. 6, 2012