A Machias pharmacy that was raided by federal drug agents last month was fined $5,000 for operating last year without a supervisory pharmacist.
Machias Family Pharmacy, owned by pharmacist Benjamin Okafor, was searched by Drug Enforcement Administration agents in February over allegations that the pharmacy improperly recorded and dispensed controlled substances.
Okafor also owns Eastport Family Pharmacy, which was also searched by federal agents in February.
No formal charges have been filed in relation to those administrative warrants.
An employee who answered the phone Monday morning at Machias Family Pharmacy said Okafor was unavailable for comment.
For much of Washington County’s coastline — from East Machias to Lubec — Okafor’s pharmacies are the only options for residents.
Shortly after the February raid, Okafor signed an agreement with the state’s pharmacy board to resolve a November 2025 complaint alleging that the Machias pharmacy had operated without a pharmacist-in-charge for one month earlier last year.
Okafor serves as the site’s pharmacist-in-charge, a position required by state law to oversee all pharmacy activity.
In July 2025, the board temporarily suspended Okafor after determining he had altered prescription labels to hide that he had erroneously dispensed a controlled substance, according to court documents. Controlled substances are tightly regulated prescription drugs due to their potential for causing dependence.
During that 30-day suspension, the Machias pharmacy remained open but with no registered supervisory pharmacist, according to the agreement.
Okafor told the board he tried but failed to find a replacement pharmacist.
“He made calls and reached out to staffing agencies, continuing to look for a replacement PIC throughout the period of his suspension without success,” the agreement says.
The late February agreement, which included a formal warning against the pharmacist, required Okafor to pay a $5,000 fine within 30 days. On March 5, 2026, at Okafor’s request, the board amended the payment terms to five monthly installments, ending in July 2026.
Should the pharmacy violate these terms, it could lose its license, according to agreement.
Both Machias and Eastport locations remain open.
Okafor previously signed a consent agreement with the state board in 2016 after filling an Oxycontin prescription that was over 90 days old, violating board regulations. His Eastport location entered into a separate agreement that same year after operating a retail pharmacy without a state license, according to court documents.
A pharmacist who works for Okafor also remains on probation after the Machias pharmacy mailed an Adderall prescription to the wrong patient. Ihezie Obi, the pharmacist, said the computer had “auto-populated” because “the patient names were similar,” according to court documents.
Obi, who has been on probation since January, did not respond Monday to inquiries from the Bangor Daily News.
