Indian Pharmacist Jailed in UK for Supplying Illegal Drugs

Dushyant Patel, a London pharmacist with over 40 years of experience, had provided Class C drugs to people in his workplace.

Class C drugs are prohibited to possess, distribute, or administer under UK legislation.

A UK court jailed India-born Patel, aged 76, to 18 months in prison for providing drug addict Alisha Siddiqi with illegal substances which resulted in her death.

Alisha Siddiqi was discovered dead at a home in Norwich, Eastern England, in August 2020.

Four months later, local police named Patel as a suspect.

The local media said that Alisha Siddiqi’s first post-mortem investigation was unclear. But toxicology testing indicated she died from a prescription drug overdose.

Between January and August 2020, Alisha’s mobile phone analysis revealed that she often communicated with Patel.

After a trial, Patel was found guilty on two charges of being involved in the supply of a Class C drugs to another person between March and August 2020.

He was sentenced to prison earlier in December 2022 at Norwich Crown Court.

It had been a “very significant breach of trust” by the pharmacist, according to Judge Alice Robinson, who sentenced him to 18 months in jail.

Also discussed in court were transactions involving the unprescribed sale of Class C medications, such as Zolpidem and Zopiclone, which fall under the category of prescription pharmaceuticals.

Patel had just been accused of supplying illicit substances, the court was informed. But, he had not been charged with any crimes related to Alisha Siddiqi’s death.

He and his wife maintained a pharmacy in east London, and the prosecution said that this served as the “backdrop” to the crimes.

The prosecution said he was receiving money in exchange for supplying illegal drugs.

Patel’s attorney, Peter Pride, referred to it as “bewildering” that Patel had acted in this manner for “quite modest sums of money.”

He argued that Patel was “a man of means” and that his involvement in drugs had “tarnished his reputation.”

Pride also stated that during the course of his career, “a very valuable service” had been provided to the pharmacy’s customers, most notably during the coronavirus pandemic.

The court was also told Patel was a full-time carer for his 90-year-old mother.