California Pharmacist Sentenced to 7 Years in Prison for Illegal Distribution of Opioids

At the end of November 2024, 49-year-old pharmacist, Ifeanyi Vincent Ntukogu, was sentenced to 7 years and 3 months in prison for his role in illegally distributing hundreds of thousands of doses of oxycodone and hydrocodone.

The Facts

According to information from the US Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of California, from December 2014 through November 2018, Ntukogu dispensed over 450 000 oxycodone and hydrocodone pills based on fraudulent prescriptions provided by his codefendants, Kelo White and Donald Pierre. White and Pierre forged the signatures of more than 10 different physicians during this period.

Ntukogu, a pharmacist, would review each prescription and reject those he believed would not pass scrutiny or might raise red flags. He allegedly rejected prescriptions supposedly written by certain physicians or prescriptions for patients who were using other pharmacies because he believed such prescriptions might be deemed suspicious.

The pharmacist would then dispense the pills through his California pharmacy, receiving cash payments from his codefendants White and Pierre. White and Pierre subsequently sold the pills illegally in other states, including Texas and Tennessee. Ntukogu received hundreds of thousands of dollars for his role in this scheme.

Plea and Sentencing

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI), the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), and the California Department of Health Care Services. In June 2024, Ntukogu pleaded guilty to distributing, and conspiring to distribute, oxycodone and hydrocodone. In late November 2024, he was sentenced to 7 years and 3nmonths in prison. According to the US Attorney’s Office, Ntukogu’s sentence was extended because he “used his special skills as a pharmacist to help commit the crime.”

“As a licensed pharmacist, Mr. Ntukogu was trusted to dispense medications safely, supporting positive health outcomes. He intentionally exploited his trusted role, dispensing hundreds of thousands of fraudulently prescribed oxycodone and hydrocodone pills, knowing his greed-fueled actions would put opioids in the hands of drug dealers and could cause grave harm to the public. Working closely with our state and federal law enforcement partners, we dismantled this operation and held those who chose profit over public safety accountable,” said Special Agent in Charge Sid Patel, in a press release.

Ntukogu’s codefendant, Donald Pierre, was previously convicted and sentenced to 9 years and 4 months in prison. Codefendant Kelo White, who pleaded guilty at the same time as Ntukogu, is scheduled to be sentenced in February 2025 and faces a maximum of 20 years in prison.

References

Madera pharmacist sentenced to over 7 years in prison for illegally trafficking hundreds of thousands of opiate pills. News release. US Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of California. November 25, 204. Accessed December 6, 2024 https://www.justice.gov/usao-edca/pr/madera-pharmacist-sentenced-over-7-years-prison-illegally-trafficking-hundreds

Madera pharmacist pleads guilty to trafficking hundreds of thousands of opiate pills. News release. US Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of California. June 17, 2024. Accessed December 6, 2024 https://www.justice.gov/usao-edca/pr/madera-pharmacist-pleads-guilty-trafficking-hundreds-thousands-opiate-pills

USA v. Ntukogu et al. 19-082. United States District Court Eastern District of California. https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/USCOURTS-caed-1_19-cr-00082/summary