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 26 of 27, 626–650 of 655
- Nursing Facility Nurse Sentenced for Tampering with Patients' Morphine — Kansas, 2012 2012-01-24 · Salina, Kansas · Other / not classified
- Nurse Sentenced for Diverting Hydromorphone via Drug Cabinet Login Credentials — Minnesota, 2012 2012-01-20 · Minnesota · Hospital / health system
- 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
- Psychiatric Hospital Settles Unregistered Methadone Clinic Allegations — Massachusetts, 2011 2011-09-27 · Georgetown, Massachusetts · Hospital / health system
- Hospital Nurse Sentenced for Siphoning Dilaudid from Patients' IV Bags — Minnesota, 2011 2011-06-29 · Coon Rapids, Minnesota · Hospital / health system
- Manhattan, Kansas registered nurse pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute oxycodone and obstruction 2011-06-13 · Other / not classified
- South Dakota tribal health center pharmacy technician sentenced after hydrocodone theft plea 2011-05-16 · Other / not classified
- Nursing Home Nurse Sentenced for Diluting Hospice Patients' Morphine with Tap Water — Washington, 2011 2011-03-07 · Snohomish, Washington · Long-term care
- Registered nurse signed out extra OxyContin, Percocet, and oxycodone not given to residents and forged a narcotic sheet 2011-01 · Long-term care
- Former nurse pleads guilty to stealing hydromorphone from Mayo Regional Hospital 2010-11 · Dover-Foxcroft, ME · Hospital / health system
- New Jersey physician's license revoked for prescribing Percocet without medical justification 2010-10-12 · Other / not classified
- Surgical Technician Diverts Fentanyl, Triggers Multistate Hepatitis C Outbreak — Colorado, 2010 2010-02-24 · Denver, Colorado · Hospital / health system
- 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
- Nursing home nurse took Percocet from a resident's medication supply for personal use 2005-06 · Kennebunk, ME · Other / not classified
- Utah Prescriber Faces License Action Over Opioid Diversion (2005) 2005 · Utah · Dental / oral surgery
- Registered nurse diverted morphine and fentanyl from Children's Hospital of Wisconsin stock or waste 2004-11 · Milwaukee County, Wisconsin · Hospital / health system
- Physician assistant's certification revoked after guilty plea to illegally distributing oxycodone 2004-01 · Montgomery, PA · Other / not classified
- Family practice physician's license revoked after ingesting morphine in violation of probation 2004-01 · Catonsville, MD · Other / not classified
- Anesthesiologist placed on probation after being sanctioned for abusing fentanyl and Demerol 2003-07 · Los Angeles, CA · Other / not classified
- Radiation therapy technologist's certification revoked after positive drug test for morphine 2003-01 · Bel Air, MD · Other / not classified
- Rochester nurse admitted diverting morphine and hydromorphone through fraudulent dispensing-cabinet entries 2001-11-09
- Children's Wisconsin nurse diverted morphine and fentanyl for self-administration 2000 · 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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