DEA issued Order to Show Cause October 5, 2016, and revoked Suntree Pharmacy's DEA registration in November 2020 for filling hundreds of controlled substance prescriptions without resolving red flags; Eleventh Circuit upheld revocation in February 2022.

Suntree Pharmacy and Suntree Medical Equipment, LLC — DEA Revocation for Red Flag Failures (2016–2022)

Outcome: DEA issued an Order to Show Cause on October 5, 2016, and revoked Suntree Pharmacy's DEA registrations in a Decision and Order published November 19, 2020, for filling hundreds of controlled substance prescriptions without fulfilling corresponding responsibility or documenting red-flag resolution; the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the revocation on February 14, 2022.

Suntree Pharmacy and Suntree Medical Equipment, LLC were located at 7640 North Wickham Road, Suites 116 and 117, Melbourne, Florida. On October 5, 2016, the DEA issued an Order to Show Cause proposing revocation for failing to fulfill corresponding responsibility and acting outside the usual course of professional practice in Florida.

The DEA's case established that Respondent Pharmacy filled hundreds of prescriptions without fulfilling its corresponding responsibility and addressing red flags. The red flags identified included: distance between the patient and the pharmacy; the strength of medication; combinations of medications (drug cocktails); patients residing in the same household; the taxonomy of the prescriber (e.g., prescribing outside specialty scope); pattern prescribing; and cash payments.

The Final Decision and Order was published November 19, 2020. Suntree appealed, and the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the DEA's revocation in its February 14, 2022 opinion (No. 20-14626). The case contributed to established precedent on the legal requirement for pharmacists to document red-flag resolution before dispensing controlled substances.

Primary Source: Suntree Pharmacy and Suntree Medical Equipment, LLC; Decision and Order (Fed. Reg. Nov. 19, 2020)