Local pharmacy pays $350k for mishandling controlled substances

SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — A San Diego County pharmacy chain was asked to pay $350,000 after an investigation revealed it mishandled controlled substances, according to a release Thursday from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California.

The release said that Palm Care Pharmacy, a San Diego County chain with a storefront in El Cajon, faced allegations that it diverted controlled substances, failed to keep accounting records and sold pseudoephedrine chemical products without the proper training and certification.

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The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration investigated suspected illegal activity at Talimi International, Inc. which was doing business under the name, “Palm Care Pharmacy.”

Based on an audit of inventory conducted by the DEA, authorities found that the pharmacy’s location in El Cajon committed multiple violations of the Controlled Substances Act and the Combat Methamphetamine Epidemic Act between 2018 and 2022.

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Furthermore, the release said as a result of its failure to track inventory, the pharmacy had pills that were unaccounted for such as opioids like oxycodone, hydrocodone, and tramadol, as well as Xanax and muscle relaxants like Soma.

Palm Care Pharmacy paid $350,000 to resolve the claims and entered into a memorandum of agreement with the DEA, which requires the chain to take additional measures to properly handle controlled substances, the district attorney’s office said.

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