There have been three pain clinic raids in the last 10 days in Palm Beach County. According to an article in WPTV news, Palm Beach County Police have been sweeping the county and cracking down on unregistered pain clinics and digging up more information on clinics that seem to be participating in suspicious activities. If you are a doctor or an owner of a pain clinic, tread with caution as you are now in the spot light of Palm Beach County Police.

Pain Clinics Under Scrutiny

According to the article, a Boca Raton doctor is behind bars, accused of handing out pain medications. Palm Beach County Sheriff Deputies raided the Southern Care Pain Management and Wellness Center in Palm Springs Friday. This is the third raid of a suspected pain clinic in Palm Beach County in 10 days. An undercover operation put Doctor Marvin Reich in jail, for allegedly writing fake prescriptions for oxycodone and other narcotics.

Deputies loaded boxes of medical and financial files into the back of a box truck. Detectives say the clinic is not registered in Florida.

"Well he (Reich) is an eye doctor, and he's in a pain clinic. There's no medical stuff inside the facility for any type of eye exams, let's put it that way," says Lt. Bruce Hannan, with the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office.

The clinic's owner, 57-year-old Glen Smith Jr., of Lake Worth was also arrested. Both men are charged with running an unregistered pain clinic. If convicted the most time Dr. Reich or the owner could spend in prison is five or six years. Detectives say the investigation is ongoing, and more arrests may follow.

Prescription Drug Criminal Defense

While five or six years in prison may not seem like a hefty consequence, being charged with drug trafficking or prescription drug trafficking can rack up serious consequences. With the help of a criminal defense lawyer, you might be able to lower your fines and the amount of time you'll spend in prison if you have been charged with drug trafficking. Doctors especially need the help of a criminal defense lawyer because they run the risk of losing their licenses.