Bergen County Pharmacy Admits Illegally Distributing 'Highly Addictive' Opioids

FORT LEE, NJ — A Fort Lee pharmacy pleaded guilty in court to its role in a four-year conspiracy to illegally distribute prescription opioids, namely fentanyl, and give kickbacks to healthcare providers and sales representatives, U.S. Attorney Philip Sellinger said Wednesday.

Dunn Meadow Pharmacy and its parent company, Allegheny Pharma, agreed to pay up to $50 million in restitution over the next five years to resolve civil liability for violations of federal law and drug policy, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.

Court records state that Dunn Meadow sent controlled substances and other prescription medications to patients throughout the U.S.; these medications included immediate-release fentanyl, which is "highly addictive and dangerous." Dunn Meadow contracted with and received payments from pharmaceutical companies that marketed and sold fentanyl medications, the office said.

From 2015 through 2019, the pharmacy dispensed prescription fentanyl and other controlled substances "knowing that the prescriptions were not written for a legitimate medical purpose," according to court records, the office said.

The pharmacy knowingly filled prescriptions for patients exhibiting "suspicious and drug-seeking" behavior, such as repeatedly asking for early refills, paying thousands of dollars for prescriptions, or asking that prescriptions be sent to hotels, casinos, elementary schools or other locations, the office said.

Despite warnings from some of its suppliers, the pharmacy continued to fill prescriptions written by doctors with "suspicious and problematic" prescribing habits, and, at times, even without receiving an original prescription, the office said.

After two suppliers terminated their agreements, Dunn Meadow submitted applications to others, stating that "no supplier had ever suspended, ceased or restricted sales" to the pharmacy, the office said.

Dunn Meadow also admitted that it offered kickbacks — in the form of meals or "happy hours" — to healthcare providers and pharmaceutical company sales representatives in violation of a federal statute, in order to induce them to send fentanyl prescriptions to the pharmacy, the office said.

The pharmacy admitted that its violations caused a loss to federally funded healthcare programs of over $4.5 million, the office said.