oxycodone prescription

Pill Mill Kingpin Ordered to Pay Victim's Family Millions

Andrew Stine — Fri, 04 May 2012 18:35:31 GMT

Jeff George, often discussed in previous posts as a kingpin of pill mills, has finally been ordered to pay financial restitution to the family of 24-year-old Joey Bartolucci who died from overdosing on narcotics in 2009, supplied by the pill mills operated by the George brothers. Pill mills are pain clinics that often prescribed powerful narcotics like Oxycodone without discretion. These operations are under extreme scrutiny and heavy investigation because of the rising number of Oxycodone related overdose deaths. It is simply just too easy for addicts and drug dealers to get their hands on powerful prescription drugs.

Jeff George Ordered to Pay Millions

According to an article in WPTV News, Jeff George of Wellington, Fla., admitted to killing Joey Bartolucci nine months ago, by giving him access to massive quantities of powerful narcotics. Now, he has been ordered to pay the Bartolucci family $5.3 million.

The jury verdict for Bartolucci's mother, Gina, and his sister, Jennifer Moyles, came after a one-sided trial that lasted less than a day. An attorney representing Bartolucci's family detailed for jurors how George's callous actions led to the aspiring paramedic's 2009 overdose death. George was not in the courtroom and did not hire a criminal defense lawyer to represent him.

Like nearly a half-dozen others who pleaded guilty in connection with one of the biggest pill mill operations in the country, George last week turned himself in to a federal prison. Last Friday, he began serving a 15 1/2-year sentence after pleading guilty in U.S. District Court to racketeering conspiracy for operating pill mills in Palm Beach County and Broward County.

Criminal Defense

If you have ever been charged with possession or trafficking a serious narcotic like Oxycodone, you are going to have a difficult time with the court process. Not only are you facing serious felony charges (depending on the amount in question), but there are always residual charges as well. A criminal defense lawyer can help you understand everything happening in court and will represent you professionally and knowledgeably.

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Another Doctor Arrested for Trafficking Oxycodone

Andrew Stine — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 16:30:00 GMT

South Florida is known as the pain-pill capital of the country for a reason. With hundreds of pain clinics flourishing throughout St. Lucie County, Broward County, and Palm Beach County, addicts and doctor-shoppers will drive from states as far as Ohio to reap the benefits of pill mills and dispensing doctors. Police who track operations say that even though many pain clinics operate legally, people can often be seen driving from clinic to clinic procuring hundreds of pills at a time. Even though Florida legislation has attempted to regulate the doctor shopping epidemic, doctors continue to supply drug addicts and dealers with pills.

St. Lucie County Oxycodone Trafficking

St. Lucie County police arrested yet another doctor Thursday night on several charges including prescribing practitioner fraud and trafficking oxycodone and hydrocodone, according to an article in WPTV News.

Dr. Greg Hayes, 50, is charged with nine counts of prescribing practitioner fraud, three counts of trafficking oxycodone four to 14 grams, one count of trafficking oxycodone 14-28 grams, four counts of trafficking oxycodone 28 grams or more and one count of trafficking hydrocodone over 28 grams. His wife, Kristen Hayes, 27, is charged with nine counts of obtaining or attempting to obtain a controlled substance by fraud, two counts of trafficking oxycodone four to 14 grams, two counts of trafficking oxycodone 14 to 28 grams, four counts of trafficking oxycodone 28 grams or more and one count of trafficking hydrocodone over 28 grams, according to WPTV News.

Bond for the couple is set at $270,000 each.

Why Pill Mills will Never Go Away

Even though the Florida legislation is trying to regulate the process of obtaining prescriptions for oxycodone and other prescription drugs, it will always be an uphill battle because there are so many legitimate patients that need these drugs to alleviate moderate to severe pain. Also, the nature of pain clinics as a proliferating business is hard to track because an individual does not have to be a licensed practitioner (one can even be a convicted felon) to open up a clinic. They can open and shut down very quickly, only to reopen in another location. Several pain clinics have legitimate and legal operations but the illegal, low rent operations are harder to track down and prosecute before they change location.

Oxycodone Trafficking Defense

As you can see with Dr. Hayes, when you are charged with trafficking oxycodone, you are likely to have several counts of the same charge as well as residual charges like fraud. It is imperative that you contact a criminal defense lawyer immediately after being arrested and accused of these charges. Oxycodone is a very serious pain medication and the charges are extremely severe. A criminal defense lawyer will provide you with professional representation to make sure your side of the story is heard in court. With the high correlation of overdose deaths and pain clinics in operation, it is sure to be a long and difficult process if you have been charged with trafficking prescription pills. Make sure you have a criminal defense lawyer on your team.

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Are Your Tax Dollars Paying for Oxycodone Prescriptions in Pill Mills?

Andrew Stine — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 16:07:00 GMT

Did you know that Medicaid paid for more than 49 million doses of oxycodone pills over two years? The Palm Beach Post conducted an analysis of 1.7 million Florida prescription records but astoundingly, only 1.36 million adults are enrolled in Medicaid. There are no doubts that doctors in pill mills are continuing to peddle pills to addicts and drug dealers even as the state of Florida wars with the flow of prescription drug trafficking. The in-depth analysis breaks down the amount of prescriptions paid for by Medicaid in relation to the famous pill mill busts in 2010 and 2011.

Oxycodone Trafficking in Florida

The Palm Beach Post conducted an analysis on the flow of oxycodone throughout the state of Florida and where the funding for drug continues to come from - tax dollars. Records show that mid-level prescription oxycodone was one of the most frequently prescribed medications in the past two years. Taxpayers supposedly paid for more than 1 million doses of oxycodone working in pill mills. According to the article, Medicaid paid more than $27 million for oxycodone pills in 2010 and 2011. Many of the prescriptions were filled and paid for at known or suspected pill mills.

Oxycodone is causing chaos within state legislation as it is the state's leading cause of prescription drug deaths. 102,000 of these doses link directly to the George brothers of wellington, who were charged with racketeering, money laundering, and even first-degree murder for an overdose death. Almost 260,000 doses were written by Dr. Joseph Hernandez of Lake City, Fla., and Medicaid paid about $200,000 for the pills he prescribed in a two year span. After 34 overdose deaths (out of the almost 800 patients treated), Hernandez was charged with trafficking and his license to practice was suspended.

It is amazing to see that the pill dubbed to be one of the leading causes of overdose deaths in the state of Florida is getting a huge percentage of its funding from Florida taxpayers. Loved ones of those who have died due to the highly-addictive narcotic will be in an outrage after seeing this analysis.

Drug Trafficking Criminal Defense

Florida law enforcement has legitimately declared oxycodone as the no. 1 enemy on the list. If you have been charged with prescription drug trafficking, you are in for a very long haul. A criminal defense lawyer will be able to investigate your case and ensure you a fair trial. However with legislation cracking down on the flow of oxycodone, it is going to be a very difficult process with extremely severe consequences, so it is imperative that you contact a criminal defense lawyer immediately after you are arrested.

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How Pain Clinics in South Florida have been Skirting New Laws

Andrew Stine — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 15:48:58 GMT

A consistent headline in the news is how pain clinics are a growing problem. South Florida is considered to be the hotspot for pain clinics and by proxy, prescription drug trafficking. Doctors at pain clinics have an underhanded reputation for handing out prescriptions like they’re candy for highly addictive drugs like Oxycodone. As law enforcement continues to crack down on drug traffickers disguised as pain clinics, drug traffickers continue to find loopholes around the law.

Pain Clinic Central in South Florida

WPTV News reports that Florida’s drug czar is warning South Florida law enforcement about potential loopholes that pill mills have found. The number of pain clinics trying to establish themselves as pharmacies has surged recently causing law enforcement to start sweating.

While pain clinics do rake in a significant amount of revenue, they are a serious problem in this area. Prescription drugs like Oxycodone and Xanax are high on the list of popular drugs in the drug trafficking scene. Dr. Barbara Krantz of the Hanley Center treats prescription drug addicts. She says in the past two years, there has been a significant increase in the number of addicts, according to WPTV News.

“We’re seeing anywhere from approximately eight deaths per day,” Krantz said.

New Pain Clinic Law

There is a new law banning drugs from being dispensed directly by pain clinics, but clinics are looking for (and have already found) a loophole. The pain clinics start their own pharmacy instead, and put it inside their own pain clinics. The Sun-Sentinel reported that the state approved 800 new pharmacies in the last year.

The state is going to attempt to close this loophole by enforcing stricter regulation in the future. The state will also move to ban pain clinics from being near pharmacies.

Criminal Defense

With the spike in pharmacies, pain clinics, and prescription drug trafficking in South Florida, criminal defense lawyers are going to be busy. Law enforcement is expending a significant amount of their budget to prosecute drug traffickers that hide behind the façade of pain clinics. If you have been accused of prescription drug trafficking in affiliation with a pain clinic, you need the skills and experience of a criminal defense lawyer.

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How Will the New Prescription Drug Law Affect You?

Andrew Stine — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 14:02:35 GMT

Last week, the pill mill brothers finally made an appearance in court facing federal weapons charges and murder charges all in relation to the prescription drug mills they are accused of running in South Florida. Clearly lawmakers are attempting to react to the surge of prescription drug trafficking proliferating throughout Broward County attracting doctor shoppers and drug dealers all the way from states like Kentucky, Ohio, and Pennsylvania.

Pill Mill Regulation

The regulation of pill mills has finally made its way into law. According to an article in WPTV News, pharmacists are now required by law to enter certain patients’ information into a statewide database that will monitor prescriptions of highly addictive prescription drugs like Oxycontin, Vicodin, Xanax, and Ambien. This requirement does not apply to anti-depressants or blood pressure medications, which should ease the fears of legitimate patients with serious health issues that need the medication.

This new requirement is specifically to corner those people abusing prescription drugs. It is also targeting doctors (like the ones working for the George brothers) that overprescribe or even prescribe medication without a legitimate examination.

While the new legislation could be very effective in catching drug traffickers and doctor shoppers, many people in Broward County are expressing concern that the law could potentially make things difficult for legitimate patients.

Jennifer Hirst, a spokeswoman for the FL Dept. Of Health, addresses privacy concerns by saying, "The data will be stored and maintained in a highly secure system," according to WPTV News.

Prescription Drug Trafficking

While legislation may potentially make things difficult for genuine pain clinic patients, the new regulations are going to make things extremely difficult for drug traffickers. Now that orders for highly addictive prescription drugs like Oxycontin are being recorded in a database, it is almost certain that the arrest rate for drug trafficking or drug possession is going to accelerate. Criminal defense lawyers are rolling up their sleeves and getting ready to be busy for a while.

If you have been accused of drug trafficking or possession of prescription drugs, you are going to need a criminal defense lawyer to help you scale down your charges. Criminal defense lawyers are aware of this new legislation and have already begun to prepare for an increase in drug trafficking or drug possession cases.

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Can Oxycodone Busts Happen Outside of Pain Clinics?

Andrew Stine — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 15:27:24 GMT

South Florida is known as the pain pill capital of the United States. Prescription drug schemes can be found anywhere but the most common place for it is in pain clinics spearheaded by doctors trying to make an illegal profit. Recently, a prescription drug bust occurred at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Riviera Beach.

Usually, doctors in pain clinics try to make a quick profit by skimping on medical exams and providing prescription drugs like oxycodone to patients who don’t necessarily need it. Pain clinics are a huge problem in the effort against prescription drug trafficking and the law is cracking down.

Prescription Drug Trafficking in Riviera Beach

In Riviera Beach, a seven month undercover investigation has come to a close at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Riviera Beach. Over a dozen people have been arrested and accused of running a prescription drug operation out of the medical center.

According to WPTV News, part of the undercover operation led investigators to the home of Terri and Carlos Guerra. There they found a safe containing 5,000 oxycodone pills and more than $100,000 dollars in cash. Now both Terri and Carlos Guerra are facing charges of conspiracy to traffic oxycodone.

According to the affidavit, investigators started looking into the Terri and Carlos Guerra after Guerra's son, Larry Dorsey, was arrested by the DEA in Pittsburgh for trying to sell oxycodone. The affidavit says Dorsey told investigators where they could find more of the prescription medication and thousands of dollars.

According to WPTV News, the affidavit says Dorsey's mother, Terri Guerra, an employee of the VA, is responsible for the ordering and inventory of all controlled pharmaceuticals at the center. According to investigators, Guerra was placing orders for oxycodone at the same time her son was selling them.

After a search of two residents, investigators seized more than 6,000 oxycodone pills and almost $200,000 dollars in cash.

Investigators say the all the arrests that took place Thursday included veterans who were allegedly selling drugs to make money, nursing assistants, and pharmacy technicians. The State Attorney's Office says more arrests are likely. No doctors have been arrested, according to the article.

Oxycodone Trafficking Criminal Defense

Because of the huge problem of prescription drug trafficking in South Florida, law enforcement officers are expending huge amounts of their budget to crack down on pill mills and prescription drug runners everywhere. If you have been accused of trafficking prescription drugs, you are in for a long, difficult process with the law. A criminal defense lawyer can assist you through this process and answer questions you may have. Only a criminal defense lawyer can defend you in this situation and help you get the most reasonable sentence possible if you are convicted.

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