A pharmacist who operates at locations in Tilbury and Windsor has been charged in connection to an opioid trafficking ring.
John Gerges, 35, of Toronto is listed under the Ontario College of Pharmacists (OCP) as being "authorized to sign for narcotic deliveries" at a pharmacy on Mill Street in Tilbury and Totten Street in Windsor.
He was busted by the York Regional Police Intelligence Bureau last month along with five others when officers searched a location in Toronto. More than $500,000 worth of opioids were seized and all six people were charged with opioid trafficking. Two of the six, including Gerges, are pharmacists. Police also recovered one firearm and more than $220,000 in cash during the December bust. All of the suspects have either a Toronto or a Vaughn address.
Bail conditions for Gerges imposed on December 18, 2019 include house arrest and living with a person responsible for him at all times. Gerges can't go to a pharmacy or the pharmacy section of a store without a legitimate medical reason. He also can't possess weapons or illegal drugs.
The Ontario College of Pharmacists listed Gerges as trained to administer injections and authorized to sign for narcotic deliveries.
According to the OCP, Gerges has been a pharmacist in Ontario since June 14, 2011, but was disciplined and suspended from May 1, 2017 to September 1, 2017 for professional misconduct. The OCP webpage stated he "can provide patient care with conditions."
The college found Gerges dispensed the wrong medication to an unidentified patient in 2014, gave the same patient the wrong number of tablets, and did not keep accurate records of prescriptions dispensed. The OCP also said he offered the patient in question "significant compensation" for the dispensing error without being asked, and repeatedly contacted her to discuss the offer. Gerges was also found to have submitted false claims to the Ontario Drug Benefit Program for drugs that were not dispensed to patients.
The college ordered Gerges to take an ethics course, have a mentor to oversee his pharmacies and was subject to regular unannounced visits from the Ontario College of Pharmacists.
He graduated from Cairo University in Egypt in 2009.
The York Regional Police are continuing to investigate and anyone with information regarding the investigation is asked to contact police at 1-866-876-5423 ext. 7835 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.