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 21 of 24, 501–525 of 588
- Nevada nursing board found a licensed practical nurse withdrew morphine from patient dispensers at a rural hospital without documenting it 2016-03 · Caliente, NV · Hospital / health system
- Emory Hospital Pharmacy Technicians Diverted More Than 1 Million Doses of Controlled Substances 2016-02-01 · Atlanta, GA · Hospital / health system
- University hospital employees fired for diverting controlled substances including alprazolam and hydrocodone 2016-02 · Hospital / health system
- Wayne County LPN Sentenced to Jail for Diverting Oxycodone from Nursing Home Patients 2016-01-06 · Newark, NY · Long-term care
- West Virginia Physician Sentenced in Opioid Diversion Case (2016) 2016 · West Virginia · Other / not classified
- Mississippi Nurse Sentenced in Opioid Diversion Case (2016) 2016 · Mississippi · Long-term care
- Worcester Nurse Pleads Guilty to Stealing Oxycodone from Nursing Home Patients 2015-11-05 · Worcester, Massachusetts · Other / not classified
- Massachusetts General Hospital Pays $2.3M in Drug Diversion Settlement 2015-09-28 · Boston, Massachusetts · Hospital / health system
- Madison hospital nurse stole fentanyl vials 2015-08-19 · Madison, WI · Hospital / health system
- Southern Tier LPN Pleads Guilty to Diverting Percocet from Nursing Home Patients 2015-08-12 · Horseheads, NY · Long-term care
- Pharmacy technician diverted over 216,000 Norco tablets from a retail pharmacy while the pharmacist-in-charge failed to detect the theft 2015-08 · West Hills, CA · Retail pharmacy
- Nurse at a medical center in Caliente investigated for unaccounted morphine; license revoked 2015-08 · Caliente, NV · Hospital / health system
- Minnesota Paramedic Stole Ambulance Morphine, Replaced It with Saline 2015-07-16 · Minneapolis, Minnesota · Emergency services / EMS
- Hospital nurse diverted hydrocodone intended for a patient and falsified records 2015-06 · Parkersburg, WV · Hospital / health system
- Twin Falls Pharmacy Technician Sentenced for Selling Stolen Oxycodone 2015-05-19 · Twin Falls, Idaho · Retail pharmacy
- Twin Falls Pharmacy Technician Sold Stolen Oxycodone and Hydromorphone Tablets from Pharmacy Stock 2015-05 · Twin Falls, ID · Retail pharmacy
- Hospital nurse diverted fentanyl from secure medication management stations 2015-05 · Madison, WI · Hospital / health system
- California hospital system agreed to $1.55 million civil penalty after hydrocodone losses at Stockton outpatient pharmacy 2015-04 · Hospital / health system
- West Virginia Nurse Sentenced in Opioid Diversion Case (2015) 2015 · West Virginia · Other / not classified
- Maryland Physician Sentenced in Stimulant Diversion Case (2015) 2015 · Maryland · Other / not classified
- Connecticut Physician Sentenced in Opioid Diversion Case (2015) 2015 · Connecticut · Other / not classified
- Pharmacist Pleads Guilty to Stealing 67,000 Doses of Prescription Narcotics — Minnesota, 2014 2014-10-28 · Burnsville, Minnesota · Retail pharmacy
- Pharmacy technician admitted taking Xanax, Lortab and Luminal without payment from a national chain pharmacy 2014-10 · Baltimore, MD · Retail pharmacy
- Former Trinity Home Health/Hospice nurses accused of diluting and diverting patients' morphine and hydromorphone 2014-09 · Minot, ND · Home health / hospice
- Delaware state hospital nurse charged with forging medication records to obtain oxycodone 2014-03-24 · 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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