AfterGlow
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Prescription Drug Overdoses Kill 20,000 People a Year
By PIERRE THOMAS and BEN FORER
Feb. 23, 2011
Today agents from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and local police swept across south Florida arresting individuals suspected of illegally prescribing painkillers and other prescription drugs to patients who often have nothing wrong with them.
The arrests were part of a yearlong probe that centered on Broward, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties and involved undercover agents purchasing prescription drugs. Authorities say there are hundreds of pain clinics throughout the region that are involved in the illegal activity. The clinics are also known as "pill mills" because people come there to get prescriptions, often with no questions being asked.
"Thousands of people from all over the Eastern Seaboard are coming to South Florida to illegally buy prescription drugs," said DEA agent, Anthony Angeli. "People will come in vans, eight or ten people at a time. They get the scripts, and they go back."
Angeli said when they return home, the pills usually end up on the black market.
South Florida is ground zero in the nation's war against prescription drug abuse. State officials recently said that 85 percent of all oxycodone pills sold in the U.S. come from Florida and the top 50 medical prescribers of such drugs are located in the state.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, 20,000 people a year are dying from prescription drug overdose, including seven a day in Florida. Over the last decade the number of such deaths has more than tripled.
Dr. Carlos Gonzales was one of the targets in the DEA's raids this morning. He is anything but a common criminal. In the black market business of prescription drugs the criminals are not street level drug dealers, but rather doctors who often live in beautiful homes. Gonzales lives in a multi-million dollar house and has a Mercedes, a Land Rover, a Bentley and a Lamborghini parked in the driveway.
Today, Gonzales was arrested, his medical license was suspended and his most expensive cars were seized. The DEA estimated Gonzales was making between $13,000 and $20,000 a week writing thousands of prescriptions.
Florida's Gov. Rick Scott has recently come under fire for his decision to scrap a planned state database for tracking prescription drugs. Despite receiving pressure from Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W. Va., and White House Drug Czar Gil Kerlikowske, Scott refused to back down, saying the database is a waste of money and invasion of privacy. The database's supporters argue that not having it has "serious ramifications" for drug abuse across the country.
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'Pill Mills' Raided, Fla. Doctors Arrested
Fri Feb 25, 12:15 pm ET
Amanda Abella
Yahoo News
A year after an undercover operation dubbed "Pill Nation" began, several arrests have been made across South Florida in relation to the illegal sale of prescription drugs. The federal operation involved about 400 officers and set out to bust illegal pill mills that dispense massive amounts of drugs across the United States.
Federal law enforcement officials stated that the yearlong probe resulted in the arrests of 23 people, at least 5 of which were doctors.
Prescription drug abuse is the fastest growing drug problem in the United States, with the latest figures from the Centers for Disease Control citing over 27,000 deaths from drug overdose - most of which involved prescription pain killers.
South Florida is apparently the epicenter of the illegal trade, with DEA agents focusing primarily on Broward, Miami-Dade, and Palm Beach counties. State officials have stated that about 85% of all oxycodone pills dispensed in the United States come from Florida. Furthermore, the nation's top 50 medical prescribers reside in the Sunshine State.
One of the most impressive cases focused primarily on six individuals who were running several clinics in South Florida. These individuals allegedly trolled the internet with close to 2,000 different domain names that would capture searches for pain medication. They would then charge clinic fees of $200-$350 per patient. There were higher fees to gain VIP access and skip the lines.
Court documents show that this network alone dispensed more than 660,000 pills of oxycodone in 2010. These six individuals were charged in federal indictment while 14 others face state charges.
Mark R. Trouville, chief of the Miami DEA office, has said that more arrests are coming, noting that undercover officers have purchased pills from over 40 clinics in Florida.
In Palm Beach alone a total of 172 charges were brought in against clinic operators, employees, and doctors, where some of the potential maximum sentences are up to 500 years. In Broward County there are 130 of these clinics - outnumbering the county's McDonald's restaurants.
As law enforcement struggles with this mounting issue, Florida Gov. Rick Scott has recently faced criticism for his proposal to scrap a planned state database for tracking prescriptions. On Tuesday Gov. Scott said he would not back down from his position, claiming that the database is a waste of money and an invasion of privacy.
In addition to 23 arrests, law enforcement officials also seized $2.5 million in cash and dozens of cars , including Lamborghini's.
link
By PIERRE THOMAS and BEN FORER
Feb. 23, 2011
Today agents from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and local police swept across south Florida arresting individuals suspected of illegally prescribing painkillers and other prescription drugs to patients who often have nothing wrong with them.
The arrests were part of a yearlong probe that centered on Broward, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties and involved undercover agents purchasing prescription drugs. Authorities say there are hundreds of pain clinics throughout the region that are involved in the illegal activity. The clinics are also known as "pill mills" because people come there to get prescriptions, often with no questions being asked.
"Thousands of people from all over the Eastern Seaboard are coming to South Florida to illegally buy prescription drugs," said DEA agent, Anthony Angeli. "People will come in vans, eight or ten people at a time. They get the scripts, and they go back."
Angeli said when they return home, the pills usually end up on the black market.
South Florida is ground zero in the nation's war against prescription drug abuse. State officials recently said that 85 percent of all oxycodone pills sold in the U.S. come from Florida and the top 50 medical prescribers of such drugs are located in the state.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, 20,000 people a year are dying from prescription drug overdose, including seven a day in Florida. Over the last decade the number of such deaths has more than tripled.
Dr. Carlos Gonzales was one of the targets in the DEA's raids this morning. He is anything but a common criminal. In the black market business of prescription drugs the criminals are not street level drug dealers, but rather doctors who often live in beautiful homes. Gonzales lives in a multi-million dollar house and has a Mercedes, a Land Rover, a Bentley and a Lamborghini parked in the driveway.
Today, Gonzales was arrested, his medical license was suspended and his most expensive cars were seized. The DEA estimated Gonzales was making between $13,000 and $20,000 a week writing thousands of prescriptions.
Florida's Gov. Rick Scott has recently come under fire for his decision to scrap a planned state database for tracking prescription drugs. Despite receiving pressure from Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W. Va., and White House Drug Czar Gil Kerlikowske, Scott refused to back down, saying the database is a waste of money and invasion of privacy. The database's supporters argue that not having it has "serious ramifications" for drug abuse across the country.
link
'Pill Mills' Raided, Fla. Doctors Arrested
Fri Feb 25, 12:15 pm ET
Amanda Abella
Yahoo News
A year after an undercover operation dubbed "Pill Nation" began, several arrests have been made across South Florida in relation to the illegal sale of prescription drugs. The federal operation involved about 400 officers and set out to bust illegal pill mills that dispense massive amounts of drugs across the United States.
Federal law enforcement officials stated that the yearlong probe resulted in the arrests of 23 people, at least 5 of which were doctors.
Prescription drug abuse is the fastest growing drug problem in the United States, with the latest figures from the Centers for Disease Control citing over 27,000 deaths from drug overdose - most of which involved prescription pain killers.
South Florida is apparently the epicenter of the illegal trade, with DEA agents focusing primarily on Broward, Miami-Dade, and Palm Beach counties. State officials have stated that about 85% of all oxycodone pills dispensed in the United States come from Florida. Furthermore, the nation's top 50 medical prescribers reside in the Sunshine State.
One of the most impressive cases focused primarily on six individuals who were running several clinics in South Florida. These individuals allegedly trolled the internet with close to 2,000 different domain names that would capture searches for pain medication. They would then charge clinic fees of $200-$350 per patient. There were higher fees to gain VIP access and skip the lines.
Court documents show that this network alone dispensed more than 660,000 pills of oxycodone in 2010. These six individuals were charged in federal indictment while 14 others face state charges.
Mark R. Trouville, chief of the Miami DEA office, has said that more arrests are coming, noting that undercover officers have purchased pills from over 40 clinics in Florida.
In Palm Beach alone a total of 172 charges were brought in against clinic operators, employees, and doctors, where some of the potential maximum sentences are up to 500 years. In Broward County there are 130 of these clinics - outnumbering the county's McDonald's restaurants.
As law enforcement struggles with this mounting issue, Florida Gov. Rick Scott has recently faced criticism for his proposal to scrap a planned state database for tracking prescriptions. On Tuesday Gov. Scott said he would not back down from his position, claiming that the database is a waste of money and an invasion of privacy.
In addition to 23 arrests, law enforcement officials also seized $2.5 million in cash and dozens of cars , including Lamborghini's.
link
