![]() | Disgraced pharmacist Yogesh Patel, 47, who used the names of the dead and dying to fill bogus fentanyl prescriptions, received a sentence of 11 years behind bars. Patel, who had no previous criminal record, had pleaded guilty to stealing opioids — including 3,000 fentanyl patches and 1,500 hydromorphone tablets with a street value of almost $1 million from a Rexall pharmacy in Woodstock.![]() | ![]() |
![]() “His moral blameworthiness is exceptionally high” | The judge called Patel “the gatekeeper” to the drugs. “The breach of trust is egregious” he said. “Mr. Patel had the highest duty to protect the public. Instead, he placed members of the public at great risk of harm.” The Crown had sought a 15-year sentence. The defence had argued for two years. London has Canada’s third-highest rate of hospitalization for opioid drug overdoses ranking only behind Kelowna and Brantford. The judge said Patel must have known he put lives at risk. | ![]() |