Rite Aid pays $5 million in fines in drug case

WASHINGTON (AP) Pharmacy chain Rite Aid Corp. and subsidiaries in eight states will pay $5 million in penalties for violating rules designed to control drugs prone to abuse. The Justice Department said Monday that the nationwide drugstore operator also has agreed to a new compliance plan with the Drug Enforcement Administration and tighter monitoring of the over-the-counter ingredients used to make methamphetamines. Officials said a DEA investigation found many instances where Rite Aid workers knowingly filled prescriptions for controlled substances when it knew those prescriptions were not issued for a legitimate medical reason. Violations were found at Rite Aid pharmacies in California, Kentucky, New Jersey, New York, Maryland, Michigan,