Boeing staff indicted in medicines diversion investigation

Federal authorities in the USA have indicted 23 workers at a Boeing factory near Philadelphia as part of an ongoing investigation in the supply of illegal prescription drugs, including controlled medicines.

Agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Drug Enforcement Administration swooped on the plant at Ridley Park on September 29 after a long-term undercover investigation - prompted by the company - which uncovered a thriving supply network for illegal and diverted drugs.

14 other individuals were charged with attempted possession of the illegal drugs allegedly being sold by their co-workers.

Among the brands in circulation at the plant were Cephalon's Actiq (fentanyl), Purdue Pharma's Oxycontin (oxycodone), Pfizer's Xanax (alprazolam) and Reckitt Benckiser's Suboxone (buprenorphine).

"The defendants in this case are accused of diverting controlled substances and selling them to alleged abusers without any medical supervision," said DEA special agent Vito Guarino.

"These sales placed the individual abusers, as well as society at large, at risk."