Tampa Pharmacy Ordered Closed In Federal Opioid Distribution Case

TAMPA, FL — A federal court in Florida ordered a Tampa-area pharmacy shut down and prohibited two of its employees from ever owning, managing or operating any business in which controlled substances are dispensed.

Under a consent agreement and permanent injunction filed in U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida, WeCare Pharmacy at 7830 Gunn Highway, Tampa, its pharmacist owner, Qingping Zhang, pharmacy technician Li Yang and a related corporate entity, L&Y Holdings LLC, are permanently prohibited from owning or working at a pharmacy.

The order also requires WeCare Pharmacy to permanently close.

The agreement is in response to a civil complaint the government filed earlier this year accusing the pharmacy owner and technician of repeatedly filling prescriptions for opioids in violation of the Controlled Substances Act.

According to the complaint, the pharmacist and technician dispensed highly addictive and widely abused prescription opioids over several years, while ignoring red flags indicating the customers was addicted.

“Pharmacists and those who own and operate pharmacies have a duty to ensure that controlled substances are distributed lawfully,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “The Department of Justice will continue to work with its partners to ensure that business owners and medical professionals handling controlled substances do not violate the Controlled Substances Act.”

“Pharmacies have an obligation to ensure controlled substances are dispensed in accordance with the law," said Acting Special Agent in Charge La Verne Hibbert of the Drug Enforcement Administration Miami Field Division. “When they ignore that obligation, it contributes to the widespread misuse and abuse of prescription opioids that devastate our communities."

The investigation was conducted by the DEA.