Texarkana doctor sentenced to over 7 years in federal prison for prescribing controlled substances without legitimate medical purpose

A Texarkana physician was sentenced today to 87 months in prison followed by three years of probation for two counts of unlawful distribution of a Schedule II controlled substance and to 12 months in prison followed by one year of probation for two counts of unlawful distribution of a Schedule V controlled substance. The Honorable Chief Judge Susan O. Hickey presided over the sentencing in U.S. District Court in Texarkana.

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, in 2018, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Little Rock District Office (LRDO), and Tactical Diversion and Diversion Groups initiated an investigation into Dr. Lonnie Parker, 59, of Texarkana, Arkansas, after receiving complaints from local police about a suspected pill mill and possible patient overdose death. Investigators analyzed prescription drug monitoring data attributed to Dr. Parker, and the investigation found that Dr. Parker prescribed controlled substances in the Texarkana area, including opiates, benzodiazepines, and promethazine with codeine cough syrup, at an unusually high rate and in unusually large quantities. During the two-year period investigated, Dr. Parker prescribed approximately 1.2 million dosage units of opiates, including oxycodone and hydrocodone, to approximately 1,508 patients (approximately 847 dosage units per patient). Dr. Parker also prescribed approximately 16 gallons of promethazine with codeine cough syrup to approximately 29 patients during the same period. These prescriptions included several combinations of narcotics and sedatives for patients at high risk for distraction.

This was announced by US Attorney David Clay Fowlkes.

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Little Rock District Office (LRDO), Tactical Diversion and Diversion Group, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Texarkana Police Department, and the Office of Inspector General (HHS) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services investigated the case.

Special Assistant United States Attorney Anne Gardner and Assistant United States Attorney Graham Jones prosecuted the case for the United States.

This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. For more information about the OCDETF program, visit