81-Year-Old Delaware County Pharmacist Accused of Selling Drugs for Sex

An 81-year-old Delaware County pharmacist is accused of selling drugs to at least two women in exchange for sex.

Martin Brian of Media, Pennsylvania, was arrested and charged with possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance, distribution of a controlled substance to a drug-dependent person, the dispensing of a controlled substance in a manner inconsistent with the rules of the medical profession, the criminal use of a communication facility and sexual extortion.

“His actions risked the life of every individual receiving these illicitly obtained drugs,” Delaware County District Attorney Jack Stollsteimer said. “While hardworking pharmacists all over Delaware County are making the overdose-reversing medication Narcan available, this defendant chose instead to actively contribute to the scourge of addiction that families in our County grapple with every day.”  

The investigation began on April 18 when Media Police responded to an anonymous tip and checked on two unconscious people parked in the back of the Murray-Overhill Pharmacy, which Brian owned and operated at the time. 

As the officers worked on identifying the two unconscious people in the car, a woman emerged from the back of the pharmacy. She then went back inside after spotting the officers. 

Brian then exited the pharmacy and asked the officers if everything was alright, investigators said. 

The officers then questioned both Brian and the woman they had spotted earlier and received conflicting accounts from both, according to police. 

Police then seized the woman’s cellphone and conducted a search warrant. They then found numerous texts between Brian and the woman in which Brian allegedly told her how to respond to the officers’ questions. 

On April 20, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) conducted an audit of Brian’s pharmacy and analyzed inventory from 2016 to 2021. The audit revealed discrepancies in the pharmacy’s inventory of oxycodone, Xanax and fentanyl, investigators said. 

A review from the DEA also revealed the pharmacy was the largest purchaser of oxycodone, fentanyl and related drug products in the 19063 zip code, according to officials. 

On April 26, DEA agents interviewed the woman who they initially spotted outside the pharmacy. She allegedly admitted to meeting with Brian weekly to exchange sex acts for money and controlled substances. 

Investigators also said they found around $50,000 in cash in a drawer in Brian’s pharmacy while executing a search warrant. 

During the investigation, a second woman also admitted she had exchanged sex with Brian for drugs multiple times a week, police said. She also allegedly told investigators she couldn’t keep count of the number of bottles of oxycodone she had received and that she later sold the oxycodone back to Brian in exchange for heroin. 

"The allegations against Brian that he repeatedly distributed powerful painkillers and other controlled substances in exchange for sexual acts are repulsive and demonstrate Brian's total disregard for his legal and ethical responsibilities as a pharmacist," Thomas Hodnett, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Philadelphia Field Division, said. 

Brian turned himself in on Monday and was arraigned with bail set at $250,000 unsecured. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for November 17. 

Investigators also said Brian’s pharmacy ceased operations in June.