patrick.net

https://bigthink.com/politics-current-affairs/opioid-company-criminal

A major drug distribution company and two of its former executives are facing criminal charges, marking a major shift in the battle against the opioid crisis.

The U.S. government on Tuesday charged the Rochester Drug Cooperative with conspiring to distribute drugs, defrauding the federal government, and failing to file suspicious order reports. In addition to the company itself, indictment also named a former chief executive officer and chief of compliance in the indictment, at least one of whom was expected to surrender to D.E.A. agents on Tuesday.

Rochester is the nation's sixth-largest drug distributor, and it's the first company U.S. history to face criminal charges for its role in the opioid epidemic. In a separate civil case, the drug company admitted that it had failed to flag suspicious opioid orders, many of which helped corrupt doctors run pill mills.