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Hyrum pharmacist noticed 'red flags' in callers posing as doctors in YoungBoy case

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SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) — A pharmacist in northern Utah targeted by callers in a scheme involving rapper NBA YoungBoy said multiple red flags prevented them from fulfilling the order.

The rapper, known legally as Kentrell Gaulden, has been on house arrest in Utah since 2021.

Gaulden was taken into custody Tuesday by the Cache County Sheriff's Office, accused of organizing a fraud ring involving prescription thefts at Utah pharmacies.

RELATED: Rapper NBA YoungBoy facing 63 charges in Utah prescription drug fraud operation

According to the affidavit, the Cache County Sheriff's Office began investigating Gaulden after he was identified as a suspect in the prescription fraud ring.

The alleged scheme involved individuals calling in fraudulent prescriptions under the names of real doctors and using fake patient names and birthdates. Alleged associates of Gaulden would then pick up the prescriptions from various pharmacies.

Pharmacist Erik Stewart from Reed's Pharmacy in Hyrum said they never fulfilled the order called in by the group because they noticed some red flags.

"I'm just happy that they were able to connect the dots," Stewart said.

He was glad to hear of an arrest in the investigation, though he had not heard of the rapper before.

"Some of the younger people that I work with here know who he is," Stewart said. "I have never heard of him."

Stewart said his team got a call from someone claiming to be a doctor, needing to fill a prescription - something he called the first red flag.

"Usually, you don't get a doctor calling in a cough syrup themselves. That'll be like a nurse or something - but then, just their medical terminology was off the quantities," he said. "The way they pronounced the things - everything was suspicious."

Court documents revealed multiple other pharmacies across the Beehive State were also targeted.

According to investigators, callers linked to Gaulden would call in prescriptions using the name of a real doctor in Provo, in some cases - but provide fake patient information. Individuals would then pick up the order from pharmacies, mainly promethazine and codeine.

"The bigger problem, honestly, would be the fact that these medications they're trying to get are regulated, and so throwing a chink in the process can really disrupt potential opportunities to get the medication you actually need," Stewart said.

Investigators from the Weber County Sheriff's Office helped take Gaulden into custody with federal partners on Tuesday afternoon.

"We believe this to be several more months of work for us," said Lt. Mikelshan Bartschi.

"When it's on a bigger scale like this, it's more concerning because they're pretty persistent," said Stewart. "It's just a big disruption to us, and it's just a headache for us to have to deal with."

The 24-year-old rapper was booked at the Cache County Jail on 63 charges, including having a dangerous weapon as a restricted person.

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