Hydrocodone diversion cases
157 documented cases, 2007–2026.
Figures are derived from the 931 case records collected on this site, not from any official total. A record counts here when its Drug field names hydrocodone; it also appears on the opioids page.
Monetary penalties stated
Median: $21,259.10
Smallest $500 · largest $2,600,000
Median of 26 amounts in US dollars (civil settlements and penalties, criminal fines, restitution, forfeiture) stated in 21 of 157 records. 136 records state no dollar amount.
Custodial sentences stated
Shortest: 6 months
Longest: 144 months (12 years)
32 prison or jail terms stated in 29 of 157 records. Probation, supervised release, home confinement and suspended terms are not counted.
Roles named in the records
| Role | Records |
|---|---|
| Pharmacy technician | 39 |
| Pharmacist | 32 |
| Nurse (role unspecified) | 27 |
| Physician / surgeon | 25 |
| Not stated in the record or its title | 21 |
| Nurse practitioner / APRN | 5 |
| Registered nurse (RN) | 4 |
| Licensed practical / vocational nurse | 1 |
| Nurse aide / assistant | 1 |
| Surgical / OR technician | 1 |
| Veterinarian | 1 |
From the Role field (43) or, where the record has none, the case title (93).
States with the most records
| State | Records |
|---|---|
| Illinois | 13 |
| Alabama | 8 |
| California | 8 |
| Kentucky | 7 |
| Mississippi | 7 |
| Hawaii | 6 |
| Iowa | 6 |
| Arkansas | 5 |
46 states and territories in all; every state.
Settings involved
| Setting | Records |
|---|---|
| Other / not classified | 70 |
| Retail pharmacy | 55 |
| Hospital / health system | 22 |
| Long-term care | 8 |
| No setting stated | 2 |
Other drugs and classes
Cases
Newest first · page 4 of 7, 76–100 of 157
- Maui physician charged with unlawful distribution of hydrocodone after undercover visits 2020-10-08 · Other / not classified
- Buffalo-Area Medical Office Manager Sentenced for Stealing Controlled Substances via Forged Prescriptions 2020-09-17 · Buffalo, New York · Other / not classified
- Montana Pharmacist Pleads Guilty to Filling Fraudulent Opioid Prescriptions for Himself 2020-07-30 · Ennis, Montana · Retail pharmacy
- Walgreens pharmacy technician diverted Norco 10 and Norco 7.5 2020-07 · Retail pharmacy
- Pharmacy technician diverted Norco, Percocet, and MS Contin from Magee General Hospital pharmacy 2020-07 · Hospital / health system
- Savage Family Pharmacy Pays $180,480 to Settle Controlled Substances Act Recordkeeping Violations 2020-06-08 · Waynesboro, Pennsylvania · Retail pharmacy
- Pembina County Long-Term Care Nurse Charged With Stealing Resident Narcotics 2020-04-13 · Mountain, North Dakota · Long-term care
- Buffalo-Area Physician Diverted Controlled Substances Through Fraudulent Prescriptions to Associates 2020-03-05 · Buffalo, New York · Hospital / health system
- Anchorage nurse practitioner charged with manslaughter and drug distribution for opioid prescriptions without office visits 2020-03 · Anchorage, AK · Other / not classified
- Farmville pharmacy and pharmacist-in-charge ordered to pay $600,000 and permanently barred from dispensing controlled substances 2020-02-03 · Retail pharmacy
- Rawlins physician charged with prescribing oxycodone and other controlled substances outside legitimate medical practice 2020-02 · Rawlins, WY · Other / not classified
- Iowa Nursing Home Nurse Sentenced for Stealing Patients' Pain Medication 2020-01-28 · Manchester, Iowa · Long-term care
- Pennsylvania Physician Sentenced in Opioid Diversion Case (2020) 2020 · Pennsylvania · Other / not classified
- Louisiana Pharmacist Convicted in Opioid Diversion Case (2020) 2020 · Louisiana · Other / not classified
- Kentucky Pharmacist Convicted in Opioid Diversion Case (2020) 2020 · Kentucky · Other / not classified
- Chicago pharmacy technician sentenced to five years for stealing and selling hydrocodone 2019-11-21 · Retail pharmacy
- Chicago Pharmacy Technician Sentenced for Stealing 56,000 Hydrocodone Pills 2019-11-20 · Chicago, Illinois · Retail pharmacy
- St. Vincent Healthcare Nurse Swapped Patient's Pain Pills for Acetaminophen 2019-10-29 · Billings, Montana · Other / not classified
- Minnesota pharmacy chain pays $225,000 to resolve Controlled Substances Act claims after pharmacist-in-charge diverted opioids 2019-06-11 · Retail pharmacy
- Nurse practitioner forged physicians' signatures to issue unauthorized controlled-substance prescriptions at two Montgomery pill-mill practices 2019-06 · Montgomery, AL · Other / not classified
- Utah County sheriff's evidence technician charged with taking drugs slated for destruction 2019-05 · Other / not classified
- Physician at Green Mountain Family Medicine diverted controlled substances by writing staff members' prescriptions for personal and family use 2019-05 · Rutland and White River Junction, VT · Other / not classified
- Las Vegas nurse sentenced for illegally prescribing hydrocodone and oxycodone in a cash-for-prescriptions scheme 2019-05 · Las Vegas, NV · Other / not classified
- Lewiston pharmacy technician sentenced to 54 months after stealing nearly 60,000 pills from employer 2019-04-09 · Retail pharmacy
- Hilo clinic physician and employees accused of unlawfully distributing opioids 2019-02 · Hilo, HI · Other / not classified
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Disclaimer
Case summaries are based on public records (DOJ press releases, court documents, licensing-board orders, news reports). Charges are allegations unless a conviction is noted. Analysis is educational, not legal advice.
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