Nine people, including one pharmacist, were arrested in Houston as part of a pill mill pharmacy case involving $1.5 million worth of opioids and other controlled substances.
Some of the defendants operated pharmacy fronts to obtain and sell opioids on the black market to drug traffickers, according to a Feb. 2 Justice Department news release. The earnings were scattered throughout bank accounts, real estate transactions and car purchases such as a Rolls Royce, a Bentley and a Mercedes-Maybach.
Among the nine arrested is licensed pharmacist Ann Nguyen, 30, of Stafford, Texas. The defendants face up to between 10 years and 20 years for the illegal distribution of Schedule II opioids and Schedule IV drugs, according to the Justice Department.