Diversion Case Studies
Real-world drug diversion events — what happened, what went wrong, and how it could have been prevented.
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These are enforcement and incident cases. For prevention programs with published results, see programs that worked.
Major Cases 2016-2025
5 cases · newest first
Rhode Island School Nurse Took Possession of a Discontinued Controlled-Substance Medication Prescribed to a Student
Rhode Island
According to Rhode Island Department of Health disciplinary records reported by GoLocalProv, a school nurse took possession of a controlled-substance medication that had been discontinued for a student in the nurse's care, later admitting to an Investigative Committee that the medication was taken for personal use because of a shortage of the nurse's own similar prescription. The nurse was issued a reprimand under a consent decree with the Board of Nurse Registration and Nursing Education.
Read the caseNebraska City Nurse Diverted Thousands of Opioid Tablets from an Assisted-Living Facility
Nebraska City, NE
According to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Nebraska, a nurse at a Nebraska City assisted-living facility was sentenced to three years of probation and a $5,000 fine for acquiring a controlled substance by fraud. Administrators reported the theft to police in November 2018 after learning that narcotic pain medication had been repeatedly refilled but not logged as given to patients; a facility audit found more than 6,000 tablets of hydrocodone, tramadol, and oxycodone ordered for 23 residents were missing.
Read the caseBoise Hospital Nurse Sentenced for Diverting Fentanyl Vials from an Automated Dispensing Cabinet
Boise, ID
According to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Idaho, a registered nurse at a Boise-area hospital was sentenced to three years of probation after pleading guilty to obtaining a controlled substance by fraud. On at least 28 occasions between September and November 2017, the nurse accessed an automated dispensing cabinet and removed fentanyl vials, falsifying and manipulating system records to conceal the withdrawals.
Read the casePhoenix-Area Pharmacist and Technician Diverted More Than 200,000 Opioid Tablets from Two Pharmacies
Peoria / Phoenix, AZ
According to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Arizona, a pharmacist and a pharmacy technician used two pharmacies the pharmacist owned in the Phoenix area to process fraudulent prescriptions and distribute more than 200,000 oxycodone and hydrocodone tablets into the community between September 2014 and their arrest in July 2017, along with thousands of alprazolam tablets and more than 13 gallons of promethazine with codeine. Both were convicted of conspiring to distribute controlled substances and launder drug proceeds; the pharmacist was sentenced to 120 months in prison and the technician to 48 months.
Read the caseBirmingham Pharmacy Technician Tampered with Opioid IV Bags Prepared for Palliative Care Patients
Birmingham, AL
According to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Alabama, a lead pharmacy technician at a Birmingham home-infusion pharmacy was sentenced to five years in prison for tampering with opioids intended for IV fluid. Between December 2014 and September 2016, while preparing most of the pharmacy's morphine and hydromorphone IV bags for palliative care patients, the technician removed the drugs from vials and replaced them with another liquid, knowing the diluted vials would be dispensed to patients.
Read the caseDisclaimer
Case summaries are based on public records (DOJ press releases, court documents, news reports). Charges are allegations unless a conviction is noted. Analysis is educational, not legal advice.
Last reviewed: September 2026 · Content is educational, not legal advice.