Pharmacist sold 300,000 bottles of ‘purple drank’ cough syrup to drug dealers, feds say

A Michigan pharmacist is accused of selling millions of dollars worth of prescription-strength cough syrup to drug dealers from his store in Detroit, federal prosecutors say.

Zaman Alshafey, a 35-year-old from Dearborn, ordered over 300,000 bottles of promethazine cough syrup between January 2018 and March 2021, the US Department of Justice said in a Nov. 16 news release, and all of those pint-sized bottles ended up on the streets.

Cough syrups containing promethazine and codeine are a key ingredient in “purple drank” or “lean,” a potent and addictive drug cocktail touted by users for its “tranquilizing and euphoric effects.”

Over a three-year period, street level drug dealers would purchase the cough syrup from Alshafey at Medpro Pharmacy, which he owned and operated, prosecutors said in an indictment. Alshafey used a portion of the proceeds to keep the syrup flowing, purchasing bottles in bulk from wholesale distributors, according to the indictment.

Alshafey’s home was raided in 2021, TV station WJBK reported. Authorities found stacks of cash hidden in his walls.

He is facing charges including money laundering, wire fraud and illegally dispensing prescription cough syrup, prosecutors said.

As of Nov. 17, no attorney is listed in Alshafey’s defense.

This story was originally published November 17, 2022 at 8:09 AM with the headline "Pharmacist sold 300,000 bottles of ‘purple drank’ cough syrup to drug dealers, feds say."