Former Ennis pharmacist pleaded guilty to opioid d…

A pharmacist in Ennis, Montana, pleaded guilty in federal court in 2020 to opioid distribution. Announcing the plea, the U.S. Attorney for Montana said that when a health care professional abuses his position to divert and steal opioids, he will be prosecuted.

In November 2020 the U.S. Attorney's Office announced that the former pharmacist had been sentenced to prison and fined. The U.S. Attorney said health care professionals and other licensed providers must comply with the law in dispensing all drugs, especially opioids, and will be held accountable if they do not.

The excerpts available for this entry do not state the prison term, the fine amount, the quantity or type of opioids, or how the diversion was detected. Readers should consult the full press releases for those details.

Case at a Glance

Role: Pharmacist (former)
Setting: Pharmacy, Ennis
Drug: Opioids
Outcome: Pleaded guilty to opioid distribution; sentenced to prison and fined (amounts not stated in the excerpt)

Primary source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-mt/pr/former-ennis-pharmacist-sentenced-prison-fined-opioid-distribution

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Last reviewed: September 2026 · Educational content, not legal advice.

About the author

DivertGuard is built and maintained by Alex Rodriguez, MHIIM, CPhT (also known as Jesus Rodriguez) — a healthcare compliance analytics professional with more than a decade in pharmacy practice and direct responsibility for a health-system controlled substance diversion prevention program.

IHFDA Annual Conference presentations

2025 — The Rounding Revolution: A High-Tech Approach to Diversion Prevention (with Emily Spiceland, PharmD)
2024 — No Pill Left Behind: Strategies for Comprehensive Drug Accountability (with Eric Andrews)
2022 — Ready for My Close Up! Implementing, Maintaining, and Expanding Drug Diversion Prevention Cameras (with Jeremy Quinn, Shawn Young, and John Bailey)

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Faculty, ASHP Drug Diversion Certificate
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Published author, Pharmacy Purchasing & Products

Credentials

MHIIM — Master of Health Informatics and Information Management, University of Tennessee Health Science Center (2019–2021)
CPhT — Certified Pharmacy Technician, with 10+ years of pharmacy practice across retail, hospice, compounding, home-health, and hospital settings

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Former Ennis pharmacist pleaded guilty to opioid distribution and was sentenced to prison and fined