Approximately 2,500 oxycodone pills were stolen or otherwise unaccounted for at the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes' pharmacy in St. Ignatius, Montana. After learning of the missing pills, the Drug Enforcement Administration inspected the pharmacy and its records for the period from March 2017 to March 2018.
According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, the inspection found significant alleged violations of federal law and DEA regulations, including failing to adequately track records of controlled substances in the pharmacy and failing to report the missing oxycodone to the DEA.
The pharmacy resolved the alleged violations through a civil settlement rather than a court finding. Under the agreement, the pharmacy agreed to pay a $95,520 civil penalty, conduct annual compliance evaluations for three years and certify to the DEA that it meets all regulatory requirements. If future violations are found, the pharmacy would be subject to a judgment for the full potential amount of $240,640.
Tribal officials said the tribe worked closely with the DEA during the year-long investigation and that health administrators moved to address the system's deficiencies, which they said contributed to the reduced penalty. The tribal council later adopted a controlled-substance utilization and dispensing limitation policy for tribal health pharmacies, effective January 1, 2019, that follows national Centers for Disease Control guidelines.