Dr Theodore Okechuku, 58 is in big trouble in Dallas over his role in an illegal drug clinic operation.

Okechuku, a licensed anesthesiologist, is being accused by Federal authorities of being part of a drug trafficking ring.They say Okechuku conspired with drug dealers by handing out prescriptions of the painkiller hydrocodone for cash payments, often without examining the patients. The dealers then sold the drugs on the street for a profit.



Vans loaded with homeless people pulled up one after another in front of his Lake Highlands clinic. Armed guards patrolled the entrance. And patients handed cash through bars guarding a “caged cash room” at the clinic, they said.

Several of his associates have already pleaded guilty to their role in the alleged conspiracy, including his business manager, Ignatius Ezenagu. The business raked in more than $530,000 during the first eight months of 2014 according to prosecutors.

Okechuku rarely saw patients during their brief visits to his clinic, which had few, if any, examination tables or therapy equipment, according to prosecutors. That job was delegated to Elechi Oti, a physician’s assistant, or to Emmanuel Iwuoha, who did not have a medical or nursing license in Texas.

In December 2013, Okechuku was arrested for similar charges but was released from federal custody after posting $50,000 bail. Months later, he proceeded to write about four times as many illegal painkiller prescriptions as before, federal authorities say.

Dr Okechuku received his medical degree from the University of Lagos in Nigeria in 1980 and his Texas medical license in 2000.

A federal judge ordered Okechuku to prison until his trial.

Hmmm..... When will people learn.

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