Livonia Pharmacist Gets Prison Time For Cough Syrup Scheme

LIVONIA, MI — A Livonia pharmacist was sentenced to prison last week after he used his business to buy cough syrup and sell it to drug dealers, according to federal officials.

Zaman Alshafey was sentenced to three years in federal prison after he pleaded guilty to wire fraud and money laundering. He was also forced to forfeit roughly $9 million dollars in profits, according to federal officials.

Alshafey, who owned Medpro Pharmacy in Livonia, used his pharmacy to order more than $2.5 million dollars of pint-sized bottles of promethazine cough syrup from various wholesale distributors outside of Michigan, according to federal officials.

Alshafey then sold the promethazine cough syrup to drug dealers without a valid prescription from a licensed practitioner and he failed to disclose that information to the wholesalers, who he paid through wire transfers with the profits, according to federal officials.

Promethazine cough syrup can have tranquilizing and euphoric effects when consumed at higher-than-recommended dose, especially if it's mixed with alcohol or other drugs such as fentanyl, according to federal officials.

Promethazine cough syrup has been referred to on the illegal street market as "Green Drink" or "Purple Drink," according to federal officials.

Promethazine is restricted to be dispensed by prescription only per the bottle’s label.

"A pharmacist violates the public’s trust by unlawfully dispensing any drug, including promethazine cough syrup," U.S. Attorney Dawn Ison said. "We will continue to prosecute licensed professionals who wantonly engage in conduct that significant harms are community."