A Union County man pleaded guilty Oct. 30 to taking part in a $2 million stolen prescription drug scheme.

Pedro Diaz, 79, of Elizabeth, N.J., pleaded guilty to second-degree fencing and second-degree conspiracy before Superior Court Judge Peter V. Ryan in Essex County. Sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 29, 2010, at which time the state will recommend a four-year prison term, according to the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office.

Diaz, who was indicted July 27, 2007, admitted that he and Aiad Saman, 54, of Staten Island, N.Y., supplied stolen prescriptions to Charles Jyamfi, 55, a licensed pharmacist who ran his now-defunct pharmacy, Ojah Pharmacy in East Orange, N.J., in exchange for cash payments.  Diaz admitted that he knew Jyamfi was selling and dispensing these prescriptions to the public and that he profited from the illegal transactions.

Saman and Jyamfi were both charged in the state grand jury indictment.  Saman pleaded guilty June 5, 2008, to conspiracy and perjury, and was sentenced on Aug. 25, 2008 to five years in state prison.

Jyamfi was charged with first-degree conspiracy to commit racketeering, first-degree racketeering, first-degree money laundering, second-degree conspiracy to commit fencing, second-degree fencing, and second-degree receiving stolen property.  The charges against Jyamfi are still pending after Jyamfi failed to appear for his matter. A bench warrant was issued for his arrest.

The indictment against Jyamfi alleges that between August 2002 and October 2004, he allegedly purchased about $2 million in stolen prescription drugs from Diaz, Saman and others.  Jyamfi allegedly used the stolen drugs to stock his pharmacy. He allegedly sold the stolen medications, which were sometimes improperly packaged and labeled, to the general public, including persons covered by Medicaid.

Two other individuals who sold stolen drugs to Ojah Pharmacy were Stephen Dwamena and Gayford Yaw, officials said. Dwamena, 63, of Union, formerly a pharmacist at Trinitas Hospital in Elizabeth and University Hospital in Newark, pleaded guilty in October 2006 to stealing prescription drugs from his employers and was sentenced to three years probation and ordered to pay $74,000 in restitution and perform 100 hours of community service. Yaw, 46, of Landing, formerly a pharmacy technician at Atlantic Health Systems/Morristown Hospital and Ojah Pharmacy, pleaded guilty in April 2007 to stealing prescription drugs from Morristown Hospital and was subsequently sentenced to three years probation and ordered to perform 100 hours of community service and pay more than $13,000 in restitution.