West Virginia (CNN)- The Justice Department is suing CVS over accusations it is filling unlawful prescriptions for opioids.
In the complaint, the Department of Justice (DOJ) accuses the pharmacy retailer of violating the Controlled Substances Act and the False Claims Act.
Prosecutors allege CVS knowingly filled prescriptions for controlled substances that were not valid or not issued in the usual course of medical practice.
They also accuse CVS of filling dangerous quantities of opioids or prescriptions written by those known to be engaged in so-called pill mills.
Prosecutors allege this behavior dates back to October 2013 and is still taking place today.
In a statement, CVS says it strongly disagrees with the allegations and has been cooperating with the investigation for more than four years.
The DOJ says the pharmacy giant operates nine-thousand locations in the U.S.
