Affidavit: Pharmacist’s Scheme Leads To Fatal Overdose

By ABC-7 I-Team Investigator Martin Bartlett

EL PASO — A Westside pharmacist’s alleged scheme led to one deadly overdose and illegal drug sales in the middle of some busy El Paso shopping centers, a special agent from the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s El Paso field office said in a 116-page sworn indictment filed earlier this week.

Pharmacist Peter Ayika, owner of Continental Pharmacy on Remcon Circle, and pharmacy technician Francisco “Frank” Lozano, 33, were arrested on federal drug charges Wednesday.

Ayika built trust as a pharmacist over nearly seven years in business, agents said.”In this case,Mr. Ayika violated that trust.”

As the executive director of the El Paso Pharmacy Association, Bill Klein is well acquainted with the affidavit’s allegations — especially those concerning hyrdocodone. “That drug is one of the most addictive drugs in the United States,” Klein said.

According to the affidavit, patients came to Ayika with a valid prescription for the drug and he kept refilling the prescription for cash after it ran out.

In one case, the feds said, the practice led to a customer’s deadly overdose.

The affidavit alleges Ayika was selling it to people “so impaired by various addictions that they are unable to drive safely.”

But some of his customers were driving, according to the affidavit, to pick up their purchases.

The transactions allegedly went down inside his office, and in a string of parking lots at a home improvement store, an ice cream shop and a toy store.The affidavit doesn’t indicate any of them were involved.

It does accuse Ayika of selling ingredients to make meth in an operation the FBI calls “very complex.”

“As the investigation continues, we anticipate there will be others arrested,” said FBI Special Agent Andrea Simmons.

The affidavit said Ayika was even making “high dollar” wire transfers to his wife’s hometown in Nigeria and using accounts across the Midwest to cover his tracks.

“If the allegations are true,” Klein said, “this isn’t just ‘Oh,I didn’t know’ or ‘I forgot to do something’, this is something that was done intentionally.”