Opioid diversion cases
588 documented cases, 1983–2026.
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 a opioid (buprenorphine, codeine, fentanyl, hydrocodone, hydromorphone, meperidine, methadone, morphine, oxycodone, sufentanil, tramadol).
Monetary penalties stated
Median: $27,250
Smallest $400 · largest $4,500,000
Median of 84 amounts in US dollars (civil settlements and penalties, criminal fines, restitution, forfeiture) stated in 74 of 588 records. 514 records state no dollar amount.
Custodial sentences stated
Shortest: 1 month
Longest: 468 months (39 years)
133 prison or jail terms stated in 130 of 588 records. Probation, supervised release, home confinement and suspended terms are not counted.
Roles named in the records
| Role | Records |
|---|---|
| Nurse (role unspecified) | 215 |
| Pharmacist | 75 |
| Pharmacy technician | 72 |
| Physician / surgeon | 68 |
| Not stated in the record or its title | 67 |
| Registered nurse (RN) | 41 |
| Licensed practical / vocational nurse | 11 |
| Nurse anesthetist (CRNA) | 10 |
| Nurse practitioner / APRN | 8 |
| Paramedic / EMT | 8 |
| Dentist / oral surgery | 4 |
| Nurse aide / assistant | 3 |
| Surgical / OR technician | 3 |
| Veterinarian | 3 |
From the Role field (105) or, where the record has none, the case title (416).
States with the most records
| State | Records |
|---|---|
| Massachusetts | 26 |
| New York | 24 |
| Maryland | 21 |
| Illinois | 19 |
| Florida | 18 |
| Iowa | 18 |
| Michigan | 17 |
| Connecticut | 16 |
52 states and territories in all; every state.
Settings involved
| Setting | Records |
|---|---|
| Other / not classified | 235 |
| Hospital / health system | 199 |
| Retail pharmacy | 100 |
| Long-term care | 19 |
| Ambulatory surgery / OR | 9 |
| Dental / oral surgery | 6 |
| Emergency services / EMS | 5 |
| Home health / hospice | 5 |
| Fertility / reproductive | 2 |
| No setting stated | 8 |
Drugs named
| Drug | Records |
|---|---|
| oxycodone | 248 |
| fentanyl | 181 |
| hydrocodone | 157 |
| hydromorphone | 124 |
| morphine | 87 |
| alprazolam | 31 |
| methadone | 23 |
| tramadol | 23 |
| codeine | 16 |
| amphetamine | 14 |
| meperidine | 14 |
| lorazepam | 11 |
| midazolam | 9 |
| propofol | 5 |
| ketamine | 4 |
| buprenorphine | 2 |
| methylphenidate | 2 |
| sufentanil | 2 |
| phenobarbital | 1 |
| testosterone | 1 |
A record naming two drugs counts under both.
Other drugs and classes
Cases
Newest first · page 18 of 24, 426–450 of 588
- Lewiston pharmacy technician sentenced to 54 months after stealing nearly 60,000 pills from employer 2019-04-09 · Retail pharmacy
- Rhode Island VA Nurse Sentenced Over Liquid Opioid Tampering 2019-04-05 · Providence, Rhode Island · Hospital / health system
- Boise hospital nurse diverted fentanyl vials by falsifying dispensing-system records 2019-04 · Boise, ID · Hospital / health system
- Hilo clinic physician and employees accused of unlawfully distributing opioids 2019-02 · Hilo, HI · Other / not classified
- Army hospital pharmacy technician admitted stealing and distributing hydrocodone and oxycodone 2019-02 · Oahu, Hawaii · Hospital / health system
- New York Physician Sentenced in Opioid Diversion Case (2019) 2019 · New York · Other / not classified
- Missouri Prescriber Convicted in Opioid Diversion Case (2019) 2019 · Missouri · Other / not classified
- Missouri Pharmacy Technician Sentenced in Controlled Substance Diversion Case (2019) 2019 · Missouri · Hospital / health system
- Kansas Pharmacist Sentenced in Controlled Substance Diversion Case (2019) 2019 · Kansas · Other / not classified
- Idaho Nurse Sentenced in Controlled Substance Diversion Case (2019) 2019 · Idaho · Hospital / health system
- Colorado Pharmacist Sentenced in Opioid Diversion Case (2019) 2019 · Colorado · Other / not classified
- California Physician Sentenced in Opioid Diversion Case (2019) 2019 · California · Other / not classified
- KU Hospital Pharmacy Tech Stole 483 Bags of Fentanyl 2018-12-10 · Kansas City, Kansas · Hospital / health system
- Tribal pharmacy in St. Ignatius paid civil penalty after about 2,500 oxycodone pills went missing 2018-12 · Retail pharmacy
- Arizona pharmacist and technician sentenced for diverting over 200,000 opioid tablets through two Phoenix-area pharmacies 2018-11-30 · Other / not classified
- Phoenix-Area Pharmacist and Technician Diverted More Than 200,000 Opioid Tablets from Two Pharmacies 2018-11-28 · Peoria / Phoenix, AZ · Other / not classified
- Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes' Pharmacy Settles Over Missing Oxycodone 2018-11-20 · St. Ignatius, Montana · Retail pharmacy
- Montana reservation pharmacy settled over 2,500 unaccounted-for oxycodone tablets 2018-11-19 · Retail pharmacy
- Las Vegas nurse practitioner and surgical technician pleaded guilty to distributing hydrocodone and oxycodone prescriptions for cash 2018-10 · Other / not classified
- Hospital pharmacy technician diverted hydrocodone and oxycodone from a pharmacy vault through fraudulent automated dispensing transactions 2018-10 · Hospital / health system
- University of Michigan Health System Pays $4.3M in Record Drug Diversion Settlement 2018-08-30 · Ann Arbor, Michigan · Hospital / health system
- Pharmacy Technician Diverts Fentanyl at Iowa Methodist Medical Center 2018-07-10 · Des Moines, Iowa · Hospital / health system
- Long Island pharmacy chain settled claims it failed to timely report controlled substance losses and thefts 2018-06-28 · Retail pharmacy
- Pain clinic physician indicted for prescribing fentanyl, oxycodone and other controlled substances without patient examinations 2018-06 · Hamilton, OH · Other / not classified
- Health system settles alleged opioid diversion case over tens of thousands of missing oxycodone 30 mg tablets 2018-05 · Springfield, GA · Hospital / health system
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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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