Three people have been sentenced for their involvement in the theft and illegal supply of prescription-only and controlled drugs following a two-year police investigation in Somerset.
Alastair Caines, 41, Stuart Eales, 55, and Louise Larby, 42, were sentenced at Taunton Crown Court, sitting at North Somerset Courthouse, on Monday 14 September.
All three had previously admitted conspiring to sell or supply Oramorph, a prescription-only morphine medicine, as well as supplying Zopiclone, Dihydrocodeine, Diazepam and Pregabalin.
Eales and Larby, both formerly of Yeovil, also admitted theft by an employee involving controlled drugs taken between May 2022 and March 2024 while they worked for a pharmacy.
Caines, of Yeovil, received a 20-month prison sentence suspended for two years, together with a three-month home detention curfew and a 30-day rehabilitation requirement.
Eales was handed a six-month prison sentence suspended for one year and ordered to complete 150 hours of unpaid work.
Larby received an 18-month community order, including a 20-day rehabilitation requirement and a nine-month mental health treatment requirement.
The three defendants denied a further charge of conspiracy to supply Tramadol, a Class C controlled drug. That charge will lie on file.
Avon and Somerset Police said the case followed a two-year investigation launched after a pharmacy reported discrepancies in its stock. A fourth person arrested during the investigation was subsequently released without charge.
Police have warned that selling or sharing prescription-only medicines is a criminal offence and that taking medication without an appropriate medical assessment can pose serious health risks.
