FRESNO COUNTY, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) - A Madera pharmacist was sentenced on Monday for illegally trafficking hundreds of thousands of opiate pills, the Department of Justice announced. According to court records, from December 2014 to November 2018, 49-year-old Ifeanyi Vincent Ntukogu of Fresno dispensed more than 450,000 oxycodone and hydrocodone pills through fraudulent prescriptions sent to him by his co-conspirators and co-defendants in the case, Kelo White and Donald Pierre. The DOJ states the prescriptions were from more than 10 different physicians whose signatures were forged. Federal investigators report Ntukogo reviewed each prescription and rejected ones he believed regulators would find suspicious. He would then dispense the pills through his New Life Pharmacy in Madera, requiring cash payments from his co-conspirators and increasing the charge over time. "He intentionally exploited his trusted role, dispensing hundreds of thousands of fraudulently prescribed oxycodone and hydrocodone pills, knowing his greed-fueled actions would put opioids in the hands of drug dealers and could cause grave harm to the public," said Special Agent in Charge Sid Patel, who leads the FBI Sacramento field office. Court records report White and Pierre would illegally sell the pills across other states, including Tennessee and Texas. Ntukogu reportedly made hundreds of thousands of dollars participating in the scheme. "His illicit scheme led to the distribution of nearly half a million highly addictive opioids in Tennessee, Texas and beyond; fueling the fire of prescription drug misuse and endangering American lives,” said DEA Special Agent in Charge Bob P. Beris. On Monday, the DOJ states Ntukogu was sentenced to seven years and three months in prison for illegally distributing oxycodone and hydrocodone. His sentence was enhanced due to his special skills as a pharmacist to help commit the crime. Attorneys add White is scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 24, 2025, potentially facing 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Pierre is the remaining defendant in the case; previously convicted and sentenced to nine years and four months in prison.