Sanofi pharma-waste thief gets 15 years

A 43-year-old worker from an environmental service company faces 15 years in jail after being convicted of stealing pseudoephedrine powder. The stolen substance was used to produce methamphetamine.

Garland Duane Hankins was sentenced last week for diverting a half ton of the pharma waste from a Sanofi-Aventis plant in Kansas City. Officials say the material yielded $41 million in meth; Hankins and associates sold it for as much as $10,000 per pound.

Sanofi had contracted with Hankins's employer to dispose of the powder, which was unsuitable for pharmaceutical production. He worked for the contractor for 12 years and was responsible for removing the waste powder from the manufacturing plant.

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