Solihull pharmacists jailed after illegally supplying sleeping tablets

The judge said the pair "grossly abused" their positions as pharmacists Credit: PA images

A pair of pharmacists from Solihull who illegally supplied sleeping pills to the black market have been jailed.

Dean Dookhan and Narvinder Nandra used their chemists as cover to wholesale more than 20,000 packets of Zolpidem to a mystery figure in Trinidad and Tobago for a profit.

Having previously pleaded guilty to supplying a controlled Class C drug to another and possessing a medicinal product for the purpose of wholesale distribution without a licence, they were sent to prison at Birmingham Crown Court on Monday (12 July).

The two Solihull-based pharmacists were sentenced at Birmingham Crown Court Credit: BPM Media

Speaking in court, Judge Francis Laird QC explained how pharmacists are trusted to purchase, store and supply under prescription a variety of drugs, some of which are controlled under the Misuse of Drugs Act.

"It's for that reason" he says "that selling a controlled drug on the black market is such a serious offence."

Between September 2015 and May 2016 the pair managed to shift 20,790 packets - equal to 582,120 individual tablets - to their Caribbean contact who was not a legitimate pharmacist.

Gospel Lane Pharmacy in Olton & Northbrook Pharmacy in Shirley were used as cover Credit: BPM Media

Dookhan, aged 40, from Sherwood Road, Hall Green was sentenced to 27 months, while Nandra, 48, of Primsland Close, Solihull received a slightly longer term of 30 months after lying about his role.