Morris County Man Charged In Oxycodone Selling Scheme

WARREN COUNTY – Four men, including a former registered pharmacist-in-charge, who allegedly conspired to illegally obtain and distribute the highly addictive opioid painkiller oxycodone out of Panther Valley Pharmacy in Allamuchy were arrested and charged Wednesday, according to Attorney General Gurbir Grewal.

It is alleged, based on prescription records, that more than 30,000 high-dose 30 milligram oxycodone pills – known as “blues” – were illegally diverted from the pharmacy through the criminal scheme.

“Oxycodone has long been the gateway drug for the opioid epidemic, which is claiming so many lives in New Jersey and across the nation,” said Grewal. “We will continue to prosecute the licensed professionals and other criminals who divert these opioid pills into our communities and cause so much addiction, misery and death, either directly through pill overdoses or by leading users to the cheaper and deadlier alternatives of heroin and fentanyl.”

Anny Chan, 51, of Clinton, formerly the registered pharmacist-in-charge at Panther Valley Pharmacy Milagros Santiago, 43, of Haledon, Jonathan Miller, 34, of Whippany, and Siraj Vickers, 39, of Tobyhanna, Pa, have been charged with conspiracy, distribution of a controlled dangerous substance(Oxycodone), and distribution of a CDS (Promethazine).

In addition, Santiago is charged with theft by unlawful taking, and Santiago, Miller and Vickers are charged with falsifying medical records and falsifying or tampering with records, officials said. The arrests were made between Feb. 9 and Feb. 23.

The charges resulted from an investigation by the Division of Criminal Justice Gangs & Organized Crime Bureau, the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs’ Enforcement Bureau, and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s New Jersey Tactical Diversion Squad in Newark. The Monmouth County Medical Examiner’s Office also provided critical assistance. In February 2020, Chan entered a consent order with the State Board of Pharmacy to voluntarily surrender her pharmacy license, to be deemed a temporary suspension, pending further action by the Board.

“Prescription drug abuse is a major driver of opioid addiction, and we will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to combat the diversion of these dangerous drugs into our communities,” said Director Veronica Allende of the Division of Criminal Justice.

“We’re fighting the opioid epidemic on all fronts in New Jersey, expanding prevention and treatment strategies while also aggressively targeting pill mills and street-level dealers of heroin and fentanyl,” Attorney General Grewal added.

The New Jersey Prescription Monitoring Program (NJPMP), operated within the Division of Consumer Affairs, is an electronic database that collects information from pharmacies on the dispensing of CDS – including opioids – to individual patients. It creates a record for the patient so that healthcare providers can understand a patient’s full prescription drug history. The tool aims to improve prescribing practices, target treatment to at-risk patients, and mitigate the risk of potential abuse or fraud by patients who obtain prescriptions from multiple providers.

“Battling New Jersey’s opioid epidemic is a top priority for the Division of Consumer Affairs, and the NJPMP is one of our most powerful tools in that fight,” said Kaitlin A. Caruso, Acting Director of the Division of Consumer Affairs. “In this case, information from the database revealed suspicious activity that, upon further investigation, uncovered the criminal activity that led to these charges. We are proud of the role our PMP and our Enforcement Bureau played in shutting down this dangerous illegal prescription drug enterprise.”

In September 2019, the investigating agencies received information from the Monmouth County Medical Examiner’s Office about suspicious activity at Panther Valley Pharmacy in Allamuchy, which included oxycodone prescriptions being filled for a deceased individual up to a year after his death, and a drastic spike in the number of CDS dosage units being dispensed.

The investigation – including the execution of a court authorized search warrant on the pharmacy on Nov. 7, 2019,– revealed that Miller, Chan, Santiago, Vickers, and others allegedly conspired during the months of April 2018 through approximately October 2019 to illegally obtain and distribute oxycodone and promethazine by removing the CDS from the pharmacy under the guise of falsified New Jersey prescription blanks. The prescription blanks were allegedly unlawfully taken from St. Joseph’s University Medical Center in Paterson, and Holy Name Medical Center in Teaneck.

“Unfortunately, we see too often how prescription opioid abuse and addiction can lead to the transition to heroin and fentanyl use and overdose,” said Special Agent in Charge of the DEA’s New Jersey Division Susan A. Gibson. “These defendants seek to profit on the pain and suffering of those addicted to prescription opioids, and every pill they sell can be one step closer to death to those that need help the most. We will continue to pursue those who choose to violate the law, especially those in the medical and pharmacy community who choose to violate their oaths.”

During the search of the pharmacy, approximately 167 falsified oxycodone prescriptions that ranged in date from April 27, 2018 to Sept. 26, 2019 were recovered, as well as records and electronic devices. Subsequent review of seized cellphones revealed communications between a pharmacy technician and Miller, Santiago and Vickers. The communications showed that Miller and Vickers allegedly purchased the oxycodone and promethazine removed from the pharmacy and participated in the falsification of the prescriptions. Santiago, a pharmacy technician at St. Joseph’s Medical Center, allegedly stole prescription blanks that were used to falsify the prescriptions to cover the illegal distribution of CDS from the pharmacy. Chan allegedly agreed to allow illegitimate prescriptions to be filled in the pharmacy in exchange for payment.

Second-degree charges carry a sentence of five to 10 years in state prison and a fine of up to $150,000, while third-degree charges carry a sentence of three to five years in state prison and a fine of up to the $15,000. Fourth-degree charges carry a sentence of up to 18 months in state prison and a fine of up to $10,000.

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