Suspended Sentence for NI Superintendent Pharmacist Following Prolonged Unlawful Supply of Controlled Drugs

Allegations

This case involves serious and sustained misconduct by the registrant, a superintendent pharmacist and director of Castlereagh Pharmacy Ltd, who was convicted of multiple criminal offences and found to have repeatedly breached professional standards and legal obligations. Between 2017 and 2020, the registrant unlawfully supplied significant quantities of prescription-only and controlled drugs, including Co-codamol, Fentanyl, Tapentadol, Methylphenidate, Morphine, and Oxycodone, without appropriate prescriptions and in breach of controlled drug record-keeping regulations.

A Medicines Regulatory Group (MRG) inspection first uncovered discrepancies in controlled drug registers (CDRs) and highlighted irregular dispensing practices, including the substitution of Yemex Fentanyl patches for the more expensive Mezolar brand prescribed. Investigators later discovered the sale of 300,500 Co-codamol tablets without prescriptions, with estimated profits ranging between £16,581.88 and £42,581.45. No patient records were kept for these sales, raising substantial concerns about diversion, misuse, and patient safety.