TRENTON, N.J. – Florence Ndubizu, 64, a former pharmacist from Princeton Junction, New Jersey, was found guilty on Wednesday for her role in a conspiracy to unlawfully distribute large quantities of oxycodone from a Trenton pharmacy between 2014 and 2017, Acting U.S. Attorney Vikas Khanna announced.
Ndubizu, who co-owned and served as the pharmacist-in-charge at Healthcare Pharmacy in Trenton, was convicted of conspiracy to distribute Schedule II controlled substances and maintaining a premises for illegal drug distribution. Prosecutors presented evidence showing that she directed employees to fill fraudulent prescriptions and distributed millions of oxycodone pills, knowing they would be diverted for illegal purposes, including street-level drug trafficking.
During a two-week trial before U.S. District Judge Zahid N. Quraishi, the jury heard that Healthcare Pharmacy purchased and distributed over 800,000 oxycodone pills annually between 2014 and 2016. In 2017, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) suspended the pharmacy’s registration after discovering that Ndubizu and her employees had manipulated records to evade state and federal reporting requirements. A DEA audit uncovered that more than 64,000 oxycodone pills were unaccounted for between April 2015 and August 2017.
The conspiracy charge carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $1 million fine, while the charge of maintaining a drug-involved premises also carries a potential 20-year sentence and a $500,000 fine. A third charge of unlawful distribution of controlled substances was dismissed prior to the trial.
The pharmacy’s operations, which were suspended in 2017, have since been terminated. Ndubizu’s sentencing date has not yet been scheduled.