NEW YORK: A major hospital’s former pharmacy chief stole nearly 200,000 oxycodone pills from the medical center over more than five years and has been charged under a state drug-kingpin law more often aimed at accused street dealers, narcotics prosecutors said Tuesday.

Anthony D’Alessandro was arrested early Tuesday and awaiting arraignment. City Special Narcotics Prosecutor Bridget Brennan’s office is still investigating what became of the drugs but believe they ended up on the thriving black market for prescription painkillers, where the more than 193,000 missing pills could fetch a total of about $5.6 million.

While serving as Mount Sinai Beth Israel’s pharmacy director for 14 years before his firing this spring, D’Alessando exploited his access to the hospital’s drug vault to grab oxycodone pills by the score: about 100 at a time when he started in January 2009, but 1,500 at a go by the time the scheme came to light this spring, said Kati Cornell, a spokeswoman for Brennan.