Two pharmacy owners were convicted for operating a pill mill out of their business, the Medicine Center Pharmacy, in Atlanta, Georgia. Both the husband and wife, Rosemary Ofume and Donatus Iriele, allegedly conspired with a pain clinic across the street from the pharmacy to illegally dispense the controlled substances to customers, according to the statement from Northern District of Georgia’s Department of Justice.

In the May 2009, agents of the DEA and the IRS began investigating The Medicine Center Pharmacy and also AMARC pain clinic after the agents obtained information that the pharmacy and clinic were allegedly dispensing oxycodone pills and also other opiates to drug addicts and dealers.

The AMARC physicians Nevron Askari and William Richardson allegedly wrote prescriptions of medically inappropriate and potentially dangerous combinations of the opiates and other narcotics, and the directed individuals to fill their prescriptions at “Rosemary’s pharmacy,” according to the published reports. Customers paid in cash to receive the oxycodone, hydrocodone, Xanax, and Soma prescriptions, and then paid large sums of money for the pills at the Medicine Center Pharmacy.

Indian student attacked in Poland, survives

Ofume and Iriele have worked together with Drs Askari and Richardson, along with Godfrey and Bona Ilonzo (who financed the clinics under AMARC name) to fill more than $5.1 million worth of the illegal prescriptions. Employees at the AMARC clinics and the Medicine Center Pharmacy also received discounts and also special treatment, such as reduced prices for the pills dispensed at pharmacy.

Ofume also allegedly lied to the pharmaceutical distributors to obtain large amounts of oxycodone and also other prescription narcotics. The investigation revealed that the Medicine Center Pharmacy purchased 11 times more oxycodone than the average pharmacy in the Georgia in the year 2009.

The sentencing of Ofume and Iriele is scheduled for 13th June, 2017.

Mrudula Duddempudi.