Pharmacist dispensed more than 300,000 oxycodone pills in Broward, feds say

A pharmacist dispensed more than 300,000 oxycodone pills to people “who had no medical need for the drug” through pharmacies in Margate and Pembroke Pines, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

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Last week, Olushola Yusuf, 60, of Tampa, was convicted by a federal jury of conspiracy to illegally distribute drugs and five counts of illegal drug distribution, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida said in a statement.

Yusuf owned and operated two pharmacies, Boots in Margate and Chans in Pembroke Pines, where she distributed oxycodone 30mg pills “to nearly all her pharmacy customers,” the statement said. Customers drove long distances to have Yusuf fill prescriptions that other pharmacies wouldn’t.

“Oxycodone 30mg is the maximum strength available of the drug and is both sought after and potentially dangerous due to its potency,” the statement said. “It is typically prescribed to seriously ill patients, such as those suffering from chronic cancer pain or traumatic injuries.”

Yusuf charged around 10x the typical cost of the drug and required cash payment, the statement said; some customers paid as much as $1,300 a month for the drugs. She dispensed at least 326,079 oxycodone pills in total.

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Witnesses at Yusuf’s trial testified that the doors to her pharmacies were locked during business hours, and employees were instructed to only open up for certain customers, including drug dealers, the statement said. She received repeated warnings from her employees and the DEA about the dangers of her operations.

Yusuf faces up to 20 years for each count, the statement said. She is scheduled to be sentenced on October 14. Her attorneys didn’t immediately respond Sunday to a request for comment.

She knowingly flooded South Florida communities with these pills, and “put profit ahead of patients, public safety, and her responsibilities as a pharmacist,” U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida said in the statement.

“Olushola Yusuf did not simply ignore red flags,” Reding said. “She built her business around them.”

Read more Pharmacist dispensed more than 300,000 oxycodone pills in Broward, feds say