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 2018-2025

480 cases · page 20 of 20 · newest first

2018

Arizona Pharmacist Sentenced in Opioid Diversion Case (2018)

Arizona

Peoria, Arizona pharmacist Vilawoe Aku Boadu, owner of Scottsdale Health Pharmacy and V-Estrella Pharmacy, was sentenced to 120 months in prison for diverting more than 200,000 oxycodone and hydrocodone tablets.

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2018

Kentucky Pharmacist Convicted in Opioid Diversion Case (2018)

Kentucky

Pharmacist and pharmacy owner in Ashland, KY pleaded guilty on or about Aug. 21, 2018 to a conspiracy to misbrand oxycodone and hydrocodone, announced by the U.S. Attorney in Charleston, WV.

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2018

New Mexico Nurse Sentenced in Opioid Diversion Case (2018)

New Mexico

Albuquerque hospice nurse was sentenced to three years in prison on a conspiracy to distribute oxycodone and to acquire it by fraud and deceit.

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2018

North Carolina Nurse Charged in Opioid Diversion Case (2018)

North Carolina

The NC SBI arrested Mission Hospital nurse Meg Elizabeth Eisenhower on three counts of felonious embezzlement of a controlled substance for allegedly diverting liquid fentanyl in April-June 2017 from the hospital's Neuro-Trauma ICU in Asheville.

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2018

Alabama Physician Sentenced in Controlled Substance Diversion Case (2018)

Alabama

Dr. Gilberto Sanchez, 56, of Montgomery, Alabama, was sentenced Aug. 23, 2018 to 12 years and 1 month (145 months) in prison for prescribing unnecessary controlled substances, health care fraud and money laundering.

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Disclaimer

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.

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Last reviewed: September 2026 · Content is educational, not legal advice.

Related Resources

Case Database

Filter all documented diversion cases by year, state, setting, drug, and prosecution status
Drug Diversion Statistics

Charts and data tables from 931 documented federal and state cases — drugs, settings, outcomes, and cases by year
Diversion Stories (Composites)

Short illustrative narratives of how diversion is discovered in a pharmacy or hospital: the first signal, the confirmation, and the control that would have caught it sooner. Composites, not real events
Most Commonly Diverted Drugs

Which controlled substances appear most often in federal cases, with audit red flags and linked case examples for each drug