From David Richie:
An Auburn pharmacist already facing numerous felonies, including a charge that he replaced OxyContin pills with candy M&Ms, had his license to dispense controlled substances suspended today by the federal Drug Enforcement Administration.
Auburn police and DEA agents handed the suspension notice to Thomas Lee Husak, 71, Monday morning at his Skyridge Pharmacy in the 600 block of Auburn-Folsom Road, said Gordon Taylor, DEA assistant special agent in charge for the Sacramento area.
The immediate suspension order effectively puts Husak out of the business of dispensing Schedule II-V controlled substances such as OxyContin, oxycodone and hydrocodone, which is better known as Vicodin, Taylor said.
"They all can be highly addictive and in some cases, even deadly," Taylor said.
Husak will get the opportunity to appeal the suspension during an administrative hearing.
The Bee contacted Husak at his business and he referred all questions to his attorney, Tim Woodall. The attorney has not yet responded to the Bee's call for comment.
Local and federal authorities started investigating Husak in September after receiving complaints that he was providing medications to people without prescriptions. In October, search warrants were served at Skyridge Pharmacy and at Husak's home.
The search turned up various controlled substance allegedly obtained illegally. Officials also found what they described as numerous expired bottles of OxyContin that were about to be mailed back to a distributor for destruction, Taylor said.
The bottles had been opened and the pills had been removed and replaced with candy M&Ms, The bottles had then been resealed so they would appear to be full of expired pills.
"They are not going to open the bottles so he gets credit for returning the OxyContin," Taylor said.
The gambit could have left Husak with a stash of the highly addictive pain killer. On the street each of those pills might sell for $50 or possibly even more, Taylor said.
Officials also said that an inventory revealed that more than 20,000 doses of hydrocodone were unaccounted for.
Numerous felony drug charges were eventually filed against Husak by the Placer County District Attorney.
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