On Monday, a co-owner of multiple Texas pharmacies was convicted by a federal judge of illegally distributing more than 1.5 million doses of controlled substances, including over 1.1 million oxycodone and hydrocodone pills, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
In June 2018, Clint Carr, 32, of Cypress, Texas was indicted and another defendant Dustin Curry, who co-owned CC Pharmacy locations in Houston, Austin, and Round Rock. Federal prosecutors stated that Carr and a co-conspirator illegally sold the powerful prescription painkillers in bulk for cash “based on mostly forged or stolen prescriptions brought in by drug couriers posing as staff of long-term care facilities,” according to the DOJ.
“CC Pharmacy brought in over 5.5 million from the unlawful sale of these controlled substances,” DOJ said in a statement. “Evidence at trial showed that Carr used these drug proceeds to finance a lavish lifestyle, including the down payment on a $100,000 Ford pickup truck.”
Carr was found guilty on all eight counts by the jury and was convicted on four counts of unlawfully distributing controlled substances, two counts of engaging in monetary transactions in property derived from unlawful activity, one count of conspiracy to unlawfully distribute controlled substances, and a count of conspiracy to launder money, according to DOJ.
Carr has a pending sentence that is set for May 27 and has been released from custody on a $250,000 bond, according to court records. Carr also faces up to 140 years in federal prison.
Michael Wynne, an attorney representing Carr said on Wednesday that he had “no substantive comment to provide at this time.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, two of the most commonly prescribed opioids involved in overdose deaths are oxycodone and hydrocodone, which are generic names for addictive semi-synthetic opioids often prescribed to treat pain.
In 2017, there were more than 191 million opioid prescriptions dispensed in the United States.
