CINCINNATI, Ohio — A federal prosecutor says top officials with an Ohio drug distributor conspired with two southern West Virginia pharmacists to enrich themselves by selling millions of painkillers in small communities during the opioid crisis.
The indictments, announced Thursday, name Miami-Luken’s former president Anthony Rattini, 71, of Colorado Springs, Colo.; former Miami-Luken compliance officer James Barclay, 72, of Springboro, Ohio; Devonna Miller-West, 49, of Oceana, a pharmacist who owned and operated Westside Pharmacy in Oceana; and Samuel “Randy” Ballengee, 54, of Lovely, Ky., a pharmacist who owned and operated Tug Valley Pharmacy in Williamson.
The indictments allege Rattini and Barclary made sure suspicious orders for opioids were filled for Miller-West, Ballengee and others ignoring advisement from the federal Drug Enforcement Administration of its responsibility to report any suspicious orders.
It’s alleged Miller-West received 2.3 million oxycodone pills and 2.6 million hydrocodone pills from 2008 to 2015 while Ballengee received six million hydrocodone pills from 2008 to 2014. At one point, according to the indictment, Tug Valley Pharmacy was receiving 120,000 painkillers a month.
The indictment also alleges Miami-Luken provided 3.7 million hydrocodone pills to a pharmacy in Kermit. A Mingo County town with a population of 400.
Federal prosecutors said Miami-Luken made $173 million in consolidated sales from 2008 to 2015. Seventy percent of its profits came from wholesale distribution. The company supplied drugs to more than 200 pharmacies in West Virginia, Ohio, Indiana and Tennessee.
The defendants, which include the company Miami-Luken, have been charged with conspiring to illegally distribute controlled substances. A conviction carries a sentence of up to 20 years in federal prison.
U.S. Attorney, Federal Law Enforcement to Announce Charges Against Wholesale Pharmaceutical Company & Its Executives https://t.co/VuWsDHGBNx
— US Attorney S. Ohio (@SDOHnews) July 18, 2019