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Jacksonville pharmacy used in prescription drug trafficking scheme

BRUNSWICK, Ga. — A Glynn County woman has been sentenced to federal prison in Georgia after obtaining and selling thousands of pills, including opioids.

Teresa Hickman, 49, of Brunswick, was sentenced to 38 months in prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute, and to distribute a controlled substance. U.S. District Court judge Lisa Godbey Wood also ordered Hickman to serve three years of supervised release after completion of her prison term.

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There is no parole in the federal system.

“Americans continue to die in record numbers from drug overdoses, and drug traffickers like Teresa Hickman pour gasoline on this raging epidemic,” said U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia, David Estes. “Our law enforcement partners continue to do outstanding work in identifying and shutting down those who profit from such misery.”

Hickman was under investigation since April 2020. According to reports from the United States Department of Justice, she was fraudulently obtaining large numbers of prescriptions from a pharmacy in Jacksonville, Florida. Hickman was using real names and DEA registration numbers of doctors who were unaware of her crime to fill the prescriptions.

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Agents investigating the case have said more than 300 prescriptions were filled. Many of the drugs were highly addictive opioids. The pills were then sold on the street.

“Although these pills came from legitimate pharmacies, the prescriptions were fake,” said Robert J. Murphy, the Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Field Division. “Teresa Hickman had no business obtaining and distributing these highly addictive drugs.”

In a statement released by Glynn County Sheriff Neal Jump:

“The Glynn County Sheriff’s Office appreciates the coordinated efforts of the Drug Enforcement Administration in fighting the opioid epidemic that is destroying our community,” said Glynn County Sheriff Neal Jump. “Our office will continue to work with our partner agencies to fight this ongoing battle.”

The case was investigated by the Savannah Office of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, the Glynn County Sheriff’s Office, and the Brunswick Police Department, and prosecuted for the United States by Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew A. Josephson.