Yogesh Patel: Ex-druggist can't explain nearly $1M opioid theft

 

Disgraced pharmacist Yogesh Patel, 47, who used the names of the dead and dying to fill bogus fentanyl prescriptions, received a sentence of 11 years behind bars. Patel, who had no previous criminal record, had pleaded guilty to stealing opioids — including 3,000 fentanyl patches and 1,500 hydromorphone tablets with a street value of almost $1 million from a Rexall pharmacy in Woodstock.

he judge called Patel “the gatekeeper” to the drugs. “The breach of trust is egregious” he said. “Mr. Patel had the highest duty to protect the public. Instead, he placed members of the public at great risk of harm.” The Crown had sought a 15-year sentence. The defense had argued for two years. London has Canada’s third-highest rate of hospitalization for opioid drug overdoses ranking only behind Kelowna and Brantford. The judge said Patel must have known he put lives at risk.

Patel had a privileged upbringing in his native India, a successful career in Canada, a young family and a life free of any financial worries. Why he turned to stealing drugs was never revealed in court. One can only assume the same motivation of other drug traffickers, greed at the expense of people's lives. Patel’s actions were only discovered while Woodstock police were conducting another drug-related investigation.