Glasgow pharmaceutical distributor under Immediate Suspension Order by DEA

GLASGOW, Ky. – A Glasgow pharmaceutical distributor is facing an Immediate Suspension Order by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration,

According to a release by the DEA, the order was issued Tuesday to Richie Pharmacal.

The release further states the order “immediately suspends a DEA registrant’s authority to handle controlled substances due to imminent danger to public health or safety.”

Martin Redd, diversion program manager for the DEA’s Louisville Field Division, said an Immediate Suspension Order is one of the agency’s most serious administrative tools.

“The immediate suspension order is one of the things that the Drug Enforcement Administration has in our toolbox. It’s an administrative action,” Redd said in an interview with News 40 outside the company. “They have presented things where there could be imminent danger to the public or public safety hazards.”

According to the release, this stems from several compliance discrepancies and violations of the Controlled Substances Act at the company’s Glasgow distribution facility in recent years.

Redd said the action follows a lengthy investigation.

“This investigation led us to where we feel that it was best for our community and Kentucky and their suppliers and their customers as well for them not to have controlled substances,” he said.

Jim Scott, special agent in charge of DEA’s Louisville Field Division said, “Richie Pharmacal’s actions in this case contributed to the diversion of medications often linked with abuse, threatened the safety of our community, and endangered American lives,” he said. “All DEA registrants, especially distributers like Richie Pharmacal, have an obligation to follow all the requirements laid out in the Controlled Substances Act, especially with respect to inventory control, proper record keeping, and suspicious customer orders.”

As of Tuesday, the release says Richie Pharmacal can no longer handle controlled substances of any kind while the order remains in effect.

The DEA says registrants have 30 days to request a hearing to contest a suspension. However, that suspension will remain in effect until all administrative proceedings are finalized.

Redd noted that Immediate Suspension Orders are rare.

“Very rarely. We probably, in the year of 2025, had anywhere from 34 to 40 somewhere in that range across the country,” he said.

This case is being investigated by DEA’s Louisville Field Division, with assistance from DEA’s Knoxville District Office and the Glasgow Police Department. DEA’s Office of the Chief Counsel also assisted with the case.