Opioid diversion cases
655 documented cases, 1983–2026.
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 a opioid (buprenorphine, codeine, fentanyl, hydrocodone, hydromorphone, meperidine, methadone, morphine, oxycodone, sufentanil, tramadol).
Monetary penalties stated
Median: $30,999
Smallest $400 · largest $4,500,000
Median of 80 amounts in US dollars (civil settlements and penalties, criminal fines, restitution, forfeiture) stated in 70 of 655 records. 585 records state no dollar amount.
Custodial sentences stated
Shortest: 1 month
Longest: 480 months (40 years)
169 prison or jail terms stated in 160 of 655 records. Probation, supervised release, home confinement and suspended terms are not counted.
Roles named in the records
| Role | Records |
|---|---|
| Nurse (role unspecified) | 180 |
| Physician / surgeon | 144 |
| Not stated in the record or its title | 99 |
| Pharmacist | 80 |
| Pharmacy technician | 58 |
| Registered nurse (RN) | 37 |
| Licensed practical / vocational nurse | 10 |
| Nurse anesthetist (CRNA) | 10 |
| Nurse practitioner / APRN | 10 |
| Paramedic / EMT | 9 |
| Dentist / oral surgery | 7 |
| Veterinarian | 5 |
| Nurse aide / assistant | 3 |
| Surgical / OR technician | 3 |
From the Role field (93) or, where the record has none, the case title (463).
States with the most records
| State | Records |
|---|---|
| New York | 33 |
| Florida | 30 |
| Massachusetts | 27 |
| Pennsylvania | 27 |
| California | 25 |
| Michigan | 24 |
| Maryland | 23 |
| Texas | 22 |
52 states and territories in all; every state.
Settings involved
| Setting | Records |
|---|---|
| Other / not classified | 305 |
| Hospital / health system | 178 |
| Retail pharmacy | 117 |
| Long-term care | 18 |
| Dental / oral surgery | 9 |
| Ambulatory surgery / OR | 7 |
| Emergency services / EMS | 6 |
| Home health / hospice | 5 |
| Fertility / reproductive | 2 |
| No setting stated | 8 |
Drugs named
| Drug | Records |
|---|---|
| oxycodone | 317 |
| hydrocodone | 197 |
| fentanyl | 179 |
| hydromorphone | 107 |
| morphine | 93 |
| alprazolam | 50 |
| tramadol | 30 |
| amphetamine | 29 |
| methadone | 28 |
| codeine | 24 |
| buprenorphine | 14 |
| lorazepam | 11 |
| meperidine | 11 |
| midazolam | 9 |
| testosterone | 5 |
| ketamine | 4 |
| methylphenidate | 4 |
| propofol | 4 |
| sufentanil | 2 |
| phenobarbital | 1 |
A record naming two drugs counts under both.
Other drugs and classes
Cases
Newest first · page 25 of 27, 601–625 of 655
- Traveling Radiologic Technologist Sentenced for Fentanyl Diversion and Multistate Hepatitis C Outbreak — New Hampshire, 2013 2013-12-02 · Exeter, New Hampshire · Hospital / health system
- Delaware nurse suspended two years after unrecorded cabinet withdrawals and muscle-relaxant theft at a state prison 2013-11-07 · Hospital / health system
- Hospital pharmacist convicted of stealing oxycodone and Ambien from Mid Coast Hospital for personal use 2013-10 · Brunswick, ME · 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
- Philadelphia Doctor Pleads Guilty to Running Pill Mill 2013-07-09 · Philadelphia, Pennsylvania · Other / not classified
- 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
- Hospital Nurse Sentenced for Diverting Dilaudid, Causing Patient Infections — Minnesota, 2013 2013-03-20 · St. Cloud, Minnesota · Hospital / health system
- VA Hospital Pharmacy Technician Sentenced for Stealing Oxycodone and Other Narcotics — Oregon, 2013 2013-01-31 · Roseburg, Oregon · Hospital / health system
- New Hampshire pharmacy technician surrendered registration after alleged theft of oxycodone tablets 2013-01 · Retail pharmacy
- Washington Physician Convicted in Opioid Diversion Case (2013) 2013 · Washington · Other / not classified
- 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
- Maine Health Care Worker Sentenced in Opioid Diversion Case (2013) 2013 · Maine · Other / not classified
- Florida Pharmacist Sentenced in Opioid Diversion Case (2013) 2013 · Florida · Other / not classified
- Pharmacy technician accused of removing pills from a filled Oxycontin prescription and returning it to conceal the theft 2012-12 · Rockville, MD · Retail pharmacy
- South Burlington physician pleaded guilty to prescription fraud after writing prescriptions under fictitious names 2012-11 · Other / not classified
- DC hospital medical technician sold patient data and blank prescription forms used for forged oxycodone scripts 2012-09-21 · Hospital / health system
- Lutz pharmacist sentenced to 17 years for dispensing oxycodone on fraudulent prescriptions and to a DEA confidential source 2012-08-21 · Retail pharmacy
- 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
← Back to page 1 · ← All drugs and drug classes · Cases by state · Filter these cases in the case database · Check your own controls with the free assessment
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.
Would your controls have caught these?
The free self-assessment scores your own controls: 8 sections, 63 weighted items, a score for each section, and a PDF you can take to your committee. No account or login.
Start the free assessment