According to the Seattle Times, the home of Dr. Peter Pfeiffer, of Bellingham, Washington, was raided by DEA agents last Friday as a result of his alleged ties to an Internet pharmacy. The search warrant alleged, among other things, that Pfeiffer was:
- writing “a very large number of prescriptions” for hydrocodone between November and February;
- writing prescriptions for “90 pills every time . . . This is exceedingly unusual and indicates the prescriptions are being issued without medical justification;”
- writing his residential address on the prescriptions, which “is highly unusual for a bona fide physician;”
- authorizing prescriptions filled by a Beverly Hills pharmacy called “House of Medicine;” and
- communicating (according to phone records) with online pharmacies, including USMeds.com.
Criminal charges have not been filed; however, Dr. Pfeiffer’s DEA registration was suspended.
Since the search warrant alleges that Pfeiffer’s last prescription was in February, the government will presumably have to proceed with a pre Ryan Haight Act based prosecution (if they do end up indicting him) under the unamended version of the Controlled Substances Act. As I have noted previously, pre Ryan Haight Act Internet pharmacy law prosecutions can present a number of problems for prosecutors and opportunities for criminal defense attorneys.
The content on this post does not constitute legal advice and is for informational purposes only. You should not act upon the information presented on this website without seeking the advice of legal counsel. Should you wish to speak to an experienced criminal defense lawyer knowledgeable in prescription, drug and internet pharmacy law, including the Controlled Substances Act, the Ryan Haight Act and Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act violations, please feel free to contact me directly.
Category: Doctors
