A California doctor linked to five people died from an opioid overdose arrested

A Southern California doctor accused of links to five overdose deaths and writing prescriptions for narcotics that he knew were not known. he would be sold in the street was arrested Tuesday. 19659007] Dzung Ahn Pham of Irvine, in Orange County, was charged with two counts of illegal distribution of oxycodone

according to a criminal complaint. At least five people who have received and executed prescriptions from Pham have died from a drug overdose between 2014 and 2017, said in a statement the central California district of the Department of Justice.

Prosecutors say that one of Mr. Pham's text messages was troubling. received information that one of his orders was linked to Ian David Long, the gunman who had killed 12 people at the Borderline Bar and Grill in Thousand Oaks, the statement said.

Pham prescribed an infiltration agent containing hydrocodone, valium and muscle relaxant carisoprodol (Drug Enforcement Administration) during two visits. According to the criminal complaint, this combination of drugs is sometimes referred to as "triple threat" because of his death.

The doctor would have charged between $ 100 and $ 150 per visit to an emergency care center that he owned and in the past five years. Years of deposit of over $ 5 million in personal bank accounts.

Investigators discovered that Pham's prescriptions had been banned by CVS Pharmacy many years ago after he failed to justify the number of opioid pills that he prescribed.

Pham is scheduled to appear in the US District. The Santa Ana court Tuesday will face a maximum sentence of 40 years in jail when he is found guilty.