Hydrocodone diversion cases
197 documented cases, 2007–2026.
Figures are derived from the 1081 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: $25,000
Smallest $500 · largest $2,600,000
Median of 24 amounts in US dollars (civil settlements and penalties, criminal fines, restitution, forfeiture) stated in 19 of 197 records. 178 records state no dollar amount.
Custodial sentences stated
Shortest: 6 months
Longest: 240 months (20 years)
48 prison or jail terms stated in 41 of 197 records. Probation, supervised release, home confinement and suspended terms are not counted.
Roles named in the records
| Role | Records |
|---|---|
| Physician / surgeon | 53 |
| Not stated in the record or its title | 40 |
| Pharmacist | 33 |
| Pharmacy technician | 30 |
| Nurse (role unspecified) | 27 |
| Nurse practitioner / APRN | 6 |
| Registered nurse (RN) | 4 |
| Licensed practical / vocational nurse | 1 |
| Nurse aide / assistant | 1 |
| Surgical / OR technician | 1 |
| Veterinarian | 1 |
From the Role field (38) or, where the record has none, the case title (119).
States with the most records
| State | Records |
|---|---|
| Texas | 17 |
| California | 14 |
| Illinois | 12 |
| Michigan | 9 |
| Alabama | 8 |
| Arkansas | 7 |
| Kentucky | 7 |
| Mississippi | 7 |
47 states and territories in all; every state.
Settings involved
| Setting | Records |
|---|---|
| Other / not classified | 104 |
| Retail pharmacy | 61 |
| Hospital / health system | 22 |
| Long-term care | 8 |
| No setting stated | 2 |
Other drugs and classes
Cases
Newest first · page 8 of 8, 176–197 of 197
- Maryland Physician Sentenced in Opioid Diversion Case (2014) 2014 · Maryland · Other / not classified
- Illinois Physician Sentenced in Controlled Substance Diversion Case (2014) 2014 · Illinois · Other / not classified
- Iowa Physician Sentenced in Opioid Diversion Case (2014) 2014 · Iowa · Other / not classified
- Delaware nurse suspended two years after unrecorded cabinet withdrawals and muscle-relaxant theft at a state prison 2013-11-07 · Hospital / health system
- Psychiatrist found to have unlawfully possessed controlled substances taken back from patients and kept no required records 2013-09 · Albuquerque, NM · Other / not classified
- California retail pharmacy technician accused of conspiring with physician to divert opioids; Board decision issued 2013-07-17 · Retail pharmacy
- Sweetbriar Assisted Living nurse sentenced for hydrocodone theft and falsifying records 2013-06 · Charleston, WV · Other / not classified
- New Hampshire pharmacy technician's registration suspended after admitted hydrocodone theft and resale 2013-06 · Retail pharmacy
- Texas Pharmacy Technician Faces License Action Over Opioid Diversion (2013) 2013 · Texas · Retail pharmacy
- Tennessee Pharmacist Sentenced in Opioid Diversion Case (2013) 2013 · Tennessee · Other / not classified
- South Burlington physician pleaded guilty to prescription fraud after writing prescriptions under fictitious names 2012-11 · Other / not classified
- Pharmacy technician admitted diverting Valium, Promethazine/Codeine Syrup, Vicodin, Loratadine, and Soma from Pharmacy A 2012-07 · Retail pharmacy
- A pharmacy technician diverted narcotics by taking and selling them, and the pharmacy's controlled-substance records were found inaccurate as a result 2012-05 · Retail pharmacy
- Overland Park pharmacy technician stole hydrocodone and lorazepam, falsified inventories; sentenced to federal probation 2012-04-16 · Retail pharmacy
- Nursing Home Nurse Sentenced for Tampering with a Dementia Patient's Morphine — Kansas, 2012 2012-02-03 · Topeka, Kansas · Other / not classified
- TX Suspends Humble Pharmacy: 14,000 Pain Clinic Scripts 2012-01-26 · Humble · Retail pharmacy
- Westchester pharmacy technician charged with trafficking oxycodone, hydrocodone and alprazolam after DEA parking-lot arrest 2011-12-21
- Sisseton pharmacy technician pleaded guilty to health care fraud over hydrocodone theft 2011-11-28 · Other / not classified
- Former state developmental center employee sentenced to prison for selling oxycodone in Cumberland County 2011-10-28 · Other / not classified
- South Dakota tribal health center pharmacy technician sentenced after hydrocodone theft plea 2011-05-16 · Other / not classified
- Tulsa hospital pharmacy operator paid civil penalty after employees stole hundreds of thousands of hydrocodone and alprazolam doses 2010-02-19 · Hospital / health system
- Nevada pharmacy technician refilled hydrocodone prescriptions for herself; registration revoked 2007-02-22 · Retail pharmacy
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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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