Article
Phony Pharmacy Purportedly Ran Black Market Drug Ring
Author(s):
No OTC products for sale and few customers coming in with prescriptions to fill were 2 reasons why a pharmacy in California seemed suspicious.
No OTC products for sale and few customers coming in with prescriptions to fill were 2 reasons why a pharmacy in California seemed suspicious.
As it turns out, the Los Angeles store may have been used as a front for drug trafficking, The Los Angeles Times reports.
Global Compounding Pharmacy stated that it typically filled 30 prescriptions a day, which prosecutors noted is a low amount considering the area. Of the prescriptions filled, many were for patients who lived outside the state.
Meanwhile, an affidavit showed that the pharmacy was the lead purchaser of oxycodone in Los Angeles-area pharmacies from January to May 2014, the paper reported. The amount of oxycodone that Global Compounding Pharmacy bought was triple the amount of the second-leading purchaser.
Prosecutors said the pharmacy allowed brothers Berry and Dalibor Kabov to run a black market prescription drug and steroids ring, The Los Angeles Times reported.
The Kabov brothers were arrested and recently pleaded guilty to charges related to drug trafficking and money laundering. They had collected their money in cash but told the IRS that the pharmacy were making little to no money, federal prosecutors told The Los Angeles Times.
“They claimed to be paupers when they were living like kings,” Assistant US Attorney Ryan Weinstein told the paper.
The 2 brothers are also accused of illegally importing anabolic steroids from China.
Global Compounding Pharmacy began operations in 2012 under the leadership of the Kabov brothers and a pharmacist named Michael Lowe. Now, the brothers have been ordered to stay away from Lowe, who is serving as a witness in the case.
Authorities said a drug dealer was caught early in 2012 and revealed that Berry Kabov sent him 2000 to 3000 oxycodone pills each week.
Police convinced the dealer to cooperate with the authorities by taping phone calls with Berry Kabov and coordinating drug buys. This resulted in Berry Kabov sending the dealer 1000 pills in a “get well” package containing various food items.
In 2014, the California Board of Pharmacy determined that the compounding pharmacy was a front for drug trafficking.
If convicted, the brothers could be sentenced to up to 430 years in federal prison, The Los Angeles Times reported.
