Salmon Arm pharmacist pays fine for diverting drugs from hospital

A former Salmon Arm pharmacist has to pay a hefty fine for diverting drugs from the local hospital. Earlier this month, Laurent Roy, 59, pleaded guilty to 11 counts under the Pharmacy Operations and Drug Scheduling Act, in exchange for dropping two criminal code counts of theft and...

Salmon Arm pharmacist pays fine for diverting drugs from hospital
A former Salmon Arm pharmacist has to pay a hefty fine for diverting drugs from the local hospital. Earlier this month, Laurent Roy, 59, pleaded guilty to 11 counts under the Pharmacy Operations and Drug Scheduling Act, in exchange for dropping two criminal code counts of theft and fraud over $5,000. He was ordered to pay $2,000 for each count or $22,000. READ MORE: Two Salmon Arm pharmacists charged with fraud in drugs theft https://infotel.ca/newsitem/two-salmon-arm-pharmacists-charged-with-fraud-in-drugs-theft/it97300 He was involved in a complicated scheme with Ian Petterson, who was a pharmacist at Shuswap Lake General Hospital, to pocket cash after doctoring invoices. Between 2011 and 2018, Petterson stole drugs and “pharmacy supplies” from hospital stores and sold it to Roy, who worked at Remedy’s RX. Roy was suspected of selling the drugs from Remedy’s for cash. Petterson, 63, was suspended for a year by the College of Pharmacists of B.C. and was fined $35,000. He has not tried to renew his licence since. In September 2023, Petterson pleaded guilty to theft over $5,000 and fraud over $5,000 and was sentenced to a two years under house arrest. Roy was also suspended for a year by the College and fined $25,000. It is unclear if he is currently registered with the college. Both pharmacists were also sued by Interior Health. To contact a reporter for this story, email Marshall Jones mailto:mjones@infonews.ca  or call 250-718-2724 or email the editor mailto:news@infonews.ca . You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom mailto:tips@infonews.ca  and be entered to win a monthly prize draw. We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above. SUBSCRIBE to our awesome newsletter here https://infotel.ca/newsletter .