Droguera Betances is a regional pharmaceutical distributor serving Puerto Rico and other areas of the Caribbean. (Credit: Google)
The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Puerto Rico filed a civil action against Droguera Betances LLC, claiming it failed to report hundreds of suspicious orders for controlled substances to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and failed to report sales of millions of dosage units from Puerto Rico. prescription opioids, among other violations.
The complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Puerto Rico, alleges that between at least July 1, 2016 and June 30, 2019, Betances refused or negligently failed to report to the DEA at least 964 suspicious orders of controlled substances.
These include 655 orders for fentanyl, 113 for oxycodone and 196 for other controlled substances.
According to the DEA, Betances failed to investigate red flags associated with these orders, including orders that were suspicious because of their unusual size, pattern, or frequency.
Additionally, the agency said that between May 2017 and July 2018, Betances also failed to report sales of controlled substances to the DEA through the Automation of Reporting and Consolidated Orders System (ARCOS), including including more than 7.8 million dosage units of Schedule II opioids, which are defined as having the greatest potential for abuse and no legitimate medical use in the United States.
They include, among other substances, opioids like oxycodone, hydrocodone, and methadone, as well as stimulants like amphetamine.
The government’s claim also includes allegations of numerous records violations by Betances from January 2017 to December 2019, such as filling orders for controlled substances with faulty order forms and submitting shipping or delivery information inaccurate to the DEA.
Betances is a regional pharmaceutical distributor in Puerto Rico and the Caribbean. Among the products it distributes are highly addictive opioids and other controlled substances.
To prevent these substances from being diverted for illegal purposes, the Controlled Substances Act requires wholesalers of controlled substances to monitor their customers’ orders. Orders that are of unusual size, deviate significantly from a normal pattern, are of unusual frequency, or have other indicia of suspicion should be reported to the DEA, unless an investigation clears up the suspicion. suspicions linked to the order.
If suspicion remains after the distributor conducts an investigation, or if the distributor does not conduct an investigation, the distributor must report the order to the DEA, whether or not the distributor fulfills the order, the suit reads.
The lawsuit said Betances had received multiple warnings about compliance issues related to the Controlled Substances Act since 2012.
The U.S. District Attorneys Office is seeking civil penalties and a forfeiture amount equal to the sales of Schedule II controlled substances.
The case was assigned to U.S. District Judge Ral M. Arias-Marxuach.
Economic journalist with 29 years of experience writing for weekly and daily newspapers, as well as specialized publications in Puerto Rico. My list of former employers includes, among others, Caribbean Business, The San Juan Star and Puerto Rico Daily Sun. My areas of expertise include telecommunications, technology, retail, agriculture, tourism, banking and most other segments of Puerto Rico’s economy.
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