Opioids in Houston: Pharmacy owner sentenced

HOUSTON - A Houston man has been sentenced to 19 years in prison for giving over 2 million opioids directly to drug traffickers, according to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ).

Houston 'pill mill': Pharmacy owner sentenced

What we know:

Federal officials say Christopher Obaze, 64, was sentenced on Monday for "unlawfully conspiring to distribute millions of opioid pills and aiding the falsification of tax records."

Obaze was the owner and pharmacist-in-charge of Chrisco Pharmacy, which officials say he used as a front to buy opioids and other prescription drugs.

From January 2018 through October 2021, Obaze worked with others to sell at least 2,268,700 drugs in bulk directly to drug traffickers. Officials say the drugs were 10-235 mg pills of hydrocodone and 30 mg pills of oxycodone.

The DOJ says Obaze and his pharmacy technician, previously identified as Eric Tubbe, stopped reporting their drug distributions to the Texas State Board of Pharmacy in July 2018. They also deposited their profits in cash amounts under $10,000 so they wouldn't be reported by the bank, then falsified bank documents and tax returns.

What we don't know:

There is no information on whether Obaze's alleged accomplice, Eric Tubbe, has been convicted.