Saskatoon pharmacy bust shines spotlight on how drug inventories are tracked in Saskatchewan

A pharmacist charged in connection with a drug-trafficking operation is out on bail, but her arrest has thrown a spotlight on how pharmacies keep records of their inventory of drugs. 

It started with a Saskatoon drug bust in January.

Police arrested three men on Jan. 9 and seized 20 kilograms of methamphetamine, eight kilograms of cannabis and 700 oxycodone pills.

But something caught the attention of investigators: The pills appeared legitimate, as opposed to the so-called "fake oxy" pills that usually turn up on the street.

"These oxycodone pills are alleged to have been connected to the pharmacist," police said in a news release.

On March 1, police raided Northumberland Pharmacy and arrested pharmacist Jenna Ternan, 41, and her 46-year-old partner.

• Pharmacist among 5 suspects now charged in connection with drug-trafficking operation

"Initial review of the pharmacy records from September 2022 to January 2023, show over 24,000 Schedule 1 narcotics are unaccounted for from the pharmacy inventory," police said in the news release.

Schedule 1 narcotics include opium, codeine, morphine, cocaine and oxycodone.

On March 2, a police spokesperson confirmed that the pills from the January bust "were pharmaceutical-grade oxycodone, not fake."

The body that regulates the more than 420 pharmacies across Saskatchewan is also wondering exactly what happened at Northumberland Pharmacy. To wit: How did 24,000 pills go missing?

"Yes, that's a good question," said Jeana Wendel, registrar of the Saskatchewan College of Pharmacy Professionals.

Wendel says the college began working on the case with police last month.

On the day of Ternan's arrest, it suspended her licence to practise and closed the pharmacy. Other pharmacies were alerted about the pending closure — without being told why — so that patients would not be affected. Among its services, Northumberland dispensed methadone.

Pharmacies are a heavily regulated industry, with both Ottawa and the province overseeing operations, Wendel says, and there are strict protocols for record-keeping related to inventories and sales.

Additionally, both the college and Health Canada audit pharmacies. In Saskatchewan's case, these inspections happen every 18 months to two years.

"It is the responsibility of every pharmacy manager to ensure that processes are in place for documenting, ordering, receiving anytime a drug is received," Wendel said.

This can become problematic when the pharmacy is owned and operated by a single pharmacist, as is the case with Ternan.

"There's more than one person working in the pharmacy, generally, and you do regular narcotic audits. The expectation is that they're counted on a regular basis," she said.

"Most pharmacies do double counts of narcotics even when they're dispensing."

Ternan appeared in court charged with trafficking, possession for the purpose of trafficking, unsafe storage of a firearm and possession of the proceeds of crime over $5,000.

She was released after a $10,000 cash promise, and returns to court April 4.