Due to the growing crisis of prescription drug abuse in Florida, law enforcement officials may be making more arrests and filing more charges related to controlled substances. Individuals holding a valid pharmacy technician license may not find themselves immune from suspicions of stealing, selling or otherwise illegally distributing medicines that require a doctor’s signature.
If an individual’s routine work activities consist of handling pills and medications, he or she may attract unwelcome attention as a result of the nation’s opioid epidemic. When a health care professional faces a prescription drug-related charge, the Sunshine State may issue an emergency suspension order of his or her pharmacy technician license. While an individual may appeal a license suspension, a defendant’s greater concerns may revolve around fighting the criminal allegations.
Pharmacy technician arrested and charged
As reported by the Miami Herald, law enforcement officials arrested and charged a 30-year-old licensed pharmacy technician on allegations that she obtained a controlled substance by fraud. When a customer came to pick up a controlled pain medication, the technician reportedly informed him that the pharmacy’s computer system had not yet received the script. He went to his doctor’s office and returned with a paper prescription.
After filling the customer’s script from the pharmacy computer system, which had updated, the pharmacist allegedly did not tear up the paper prescription the customer brought her. Her charges stemmed from her purportedly taking the customer’s script to another pharmacy 13 miles away, then filling it and purchasing it. When questioned by a loss prevention officer, she explained that the prescription was for her friend.
A charge may not always result in a conviction
A prosecutor’s task is to supply enough evidence to convince a court that an individual deserves a conviction for breaking the law. Proof of wrongdoing, however, may sometimes prove difficult to collect and present without first understanding an individual’s motives at the time of an alleged unlawful act. Based on the varied and often unique circumstances of their case, accused individuals may explore their options for fighting the charges.
