Druggist pill plea

A longtime Manhattan pharmacy owner pleaded guilty yesterday to peddling nearly $300,000 worth of pills out of his Upper East Side storefront.

William Purdy said he repeatedly filled prescriptions for the narcotic drug oxycodone between 2010 and October of last year even though he suspected something was shady.

Purdy admitted knowing that some customers of his Capitol Chemists were coming in too often and buying too many pills for their purchases to be legit.

But he said he intentionally looked the other way “because I didn’t want to know the truth.”

But federal authorities believe Purdy — who isn’t a licensed pharmacist — was actually in on the scheme, which may date as far back as 1996, court papers show.

Purdy, 69, faces almost six years in the slammer under terms of a plea deal with the Manhattan US Attorney’s Office.

Yesterday, his lawyer also handed over a bank check for $280,000 to cover forfeiture of his ill-gotten gains.

When contacted by The Post, state regulators vowed to investigate the pharmacy.