DETROIT – On Wednesday, March 15, a New Baltimore resident and former Grosse Pointe Park pharmacist was sentenced to 8 years and 4 months in federal prison for filling fake prescriptions, following her convictions for 26 drug-related crimes, including unlawful distribution of controlled substances and conspiracy to unlawfully distribute prescription drug-controlled substances, United States Attorney Dawn N. Ison announced.

Joining Ison in the announcement were Orville Greene, special agent in charge of the Detroit Field Office of the Drug Enforcement Administration, and Mario M. Pinto, special Agent in charge of the United States Department of Health and Human Services – Office of Inspector General.

U.S. District Judge Laurie J. Michelson sentenced Hasna Bashir Iwas, 62, the owner and operator of Beacon Pointe Pharmacy in Grosse Pointe Park, following a jury trial in November. The jury convicted Iwas of 25 counts of unlawful distribution of controlled substances and one count of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances.

The convictions resulted from her operation of the Beacon Pointe Pharmacy in Grosse Pointe Park during 2013-2018. She regularly filled many prescriptions issued by a local doctor, Otis Crawford.

Crawford was charged with unlawfully writing controlled substance prescriptions and pleaded guilty, but died before his sentencing.

Investigators found Iwas had posted prescription drug warnings and “red flag” flyers on the the pharmacy walls in an attempt to look legitimate, according to the sentencing memo.

She also dispensed and sold controlled substances in blank bottles, despite federal regulations requiring a label on the drugs, according to the filing.

Iwas was held criminally responsible for distributing more than 300,000 dosage units of controlled substances.  The drugs had an estimated street value of $1.8 to $3.3 million. She personally received gross income of $781,546 from the illegal distribution of pills from her pharmacy.  As part of her sentence, she was ordered to forfeit $781,546, which represents the proceeds of her drug dealing.

Iwas owned a white Mercedes and a waterfront home with a private boat well — a lifestyle she could not afford on the annual $40,000, at most, she made from legitimate pharmacy business, according to a sentencing memorandum from the prosecution.

“She thought working in any retail pharmacy was beneath her ability,” the filing stated.

In a sentencing memorandum, Iwas’ attorneys James Howarth and William Broman wrote their client “against all common sense” left the pharmacy with no pharmacist to attend to her mother after a series of family emergencies and upon learning her mother had congestive heart failure.

“My office will continue to devote resources to prosecuting healthcare professionals such as this defendant, who use their trusted roles as healthcare providers to deal drugs in our community,” Ison said.

The investigation was conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Department of Health and Human Services – Office of Inspector General, with assistance from the Detroit Police Department.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Wayne F. Pratt, while forfeiture litigation was handled by Assistant United States Attorney Gjon Juncaj.