Jail Time For Cherry Hill Doctor Who Sold Oxycodone: Feds

CHERRY HILL, NJ — An anesthesiologist from Cherry Hill is one of two men who were sentenced to two years, six months in prison for their respective roles in a South Jersey-Philadelphia drug trafficking ring that sold over 1,800 oxycodone pills, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced on Wednesday.

Anthony Pepe, 42, and 36-year-old Prussia Hing, of Philadelphia, each previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute oxycodone. It was one of the largest national healthcare fraud and opioid enforcement actions ever taken by the U.S. Department of Justice, according to authorities. They were each also sentenced to three years of supervised release.

A total of eight people were arrested in connection with the drug ring, authorities said. From December 2017 through June 26, 2018, they trafficked more than 1,800 oxycodone pills in the area, according to documents filed in the case and statements made in court.

Of those 1,800, 680 were unadulterated oxycodone and 500 were pressed pills mixed with hydrocodone, codeine, and methylphenidate, according to authorities. Hing was the source of the supply, according to authorities.

During the investigation, undercover detectives were involved in eight controlled purchases involving Pepe and Hing, authorities said. Pepe participated in one transaction in front of a major Philadelphia hospital in which he worked as a chief surgical technologist, according to authorities.

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Cherry Hill Anesthesiologist Sold Oxycodone: U.S. Attorney