For four years Patel played a dangerous game, squirreling away stolen stock from the very pharmacy that employed him, then selling the loot on the country’s most popular online marketplace, Trade Me.
This 38-year-old medicine man didn’t just cross the line; he obliterated it, earning himself a guilty verdict of professional misconduct that’s sent shockwaves through the healthcare industry.
The Health Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal didn’t mince words, slamming Patel for bringing disgrace to his profession.
Patel’s sneaky strategy involved ordering extra meds on the sly, then stashing the surplus in his bedroom or car boot. He covered his tracks by doctoring purchase orders, ensuring his pilfered potions never appeared on the pharmacy’s radar.
From allergy relief to anti-fungal fighters, from iron supplements to smoking cessation aids, Patel’s illicit inventory read like a pharmacy catalogue.
Over 2000 sales were made through 6000 listings, turning Trade Me into Patel’s personal pharmaceutical playground.
But every scam has its day, and Patel’s came crashing down when the pharmacy owner spotted surplus Habitrol Lozenges and decided to play detective.
A dive into CCTV footage busted Patel’s scheme. Confronted by a private investigator, Patel coughed up the goods along with a hefty $100,000 repayment.
Patel used his pharmacist’s registration to sidestep strict Medicines Act requirements, exploiting his position for personal profit.
He eventually received a court sentence of six months’ community detention.
Patel tried to pin some of the pilfering on family and friends but the tribunal wasn’t buying it, finding him guilty of professional misconduct but stopping short of pinning the full rap sheet on him, setting down a penalty hearing for next week.
