Pharmacy Employee Made Thousands in 2010-11

 

Friday, April 21, 2017

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona announced yesterday that a 45-year-old woman from Nogales, Mexico was sentenced this week to three years in prison for money laundering and conspiracy to possess oxycodone with intent to distribute.

Ma de Lourdes Casas Franco of Nogales received the 36-month sentence for illegal activities committed while she was an employee at Nogales international border pharmacy Sonora’s Desert Pharmacy from June 2010 until July 2011.

During that time, Casas Franco coordinated numerous deliveries of oxycodone pills from the Mexican pharmacy to a customer in the United States. To give an idea of the size of the drug shipments, she received more than $10,000 for just one of those international drug smuggling deliveries. Casas Franco deposited the payments in multiple bank accounts, including one in the United States.

The arrest and prosecution of Ma de Lourdes Casas Franco were the result of a multi-agency investigation conducted by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Criminal Investigation unit. They were assisted by local Arizona police, Homeland Security Investigations and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.

The U.S. Attorney’s office did not comment on any pending prosecution of the recipient of the illegal drugs.