DEA issued Order to Show Cause and Immediate Suspension on May 20, 2024, for filling opioid prescriptions with unresolved red flags; registration revoked, effective 2025.

Mariste Pharmacy — DEA Immediate Suspension and Revocation (2024–2025)

Outcome: DEA revoked Mariste Pharmacy's DEA registration after issuing an Order to Show Cause and Immediate Suspension of Registration on May 20, 2024, finding that the pharmacy had filled controlled substance prescriptions with multiple unresolved red flags of abuse and diversion for over three years.

On May 20, 2024, the Drug Enforcement Administration issued an Order to Show Cause and Immediate Suspension of Registration (OSC/ISO) to Mariste Pharmacy of Richmond, Texas. The agency alleged that from at least February 2021 through March 2024, the pharmacy repeatedly filled controlled substance prescriptions that contained multiple red flags of abuse and/or diversion without addressing or resolving those flags.

The specific red flags identified by DEA's pharmacy expert included: patients consistently paying for controlled substance prescriptions with cash or cash equivalents more often than through insurance, patients traveling long distances to fill prescriptions, and patients sharing addresses. The expert concluded that these red flags were not adequately resolved by a pharmacist acting in the usual course of professional practice under Texas standards prior to dispensing.

Mariste Pharmacy admitted that none of the referenced controlled substance prescriptions were filled for a legitimate medical purpose. The DEA denied any pending applications to renew or modify the pharmacy's registration or to obtain additional DEA registration in Texas. The final Decision and Order was published in the Federal Register on April 14, 2025.

Primary Source: Mariste Pharmacy; Decision and Order (Fed. Reg. Apr. 14, 2025)