By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law
The Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office announced a fraudulent prescription drug ring bust that spanned throughout Sarasota and Manatee counties in Florida, on September 19, 2013. So far, 61 people, including the alleged ringleader have been arrested. The operation has been dubbed “Operation Main Pain” by the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office.
Click here to view the press release from the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office.
Investigation Unveiled Complex Fraudulent Drug Ring.
The investigation began in July 2011, when a fraudulent oxycodone prescription was noticed at a CVS pharmacy in Sarasota County. When more of the same fake prescriptions were presented at the CVS pharmacy, the prescriptions were identified as suspicious and declined, according to the Bradenton Herald.
Investigators uncovered that the fraudulent prescription drug ring involved several recruiters who employed runners to enter into pharmacies multiple times a day with identical prescriptions. The recruiters had runners fill fake prescriptions primarily at two pharmacies, one in Venice, Florida, and one in Sarasota, Florida.
According to the Bradenton Herald, detectives say the ringleader wrote 220 phony prescriptions that were exchanged for nearly 20,000 oxycodone pills.
To read the Bradenton Herald article, click here.
Charges Against Those Involved Include Trafficking.
According to the Herald-Tribune, the arrests have been ongoing for two years, with the latest arrests made as recently as September 2013. The ringleader is charged with conspiracy to traffic in oxycodone. The other 60 people arrested face multiple counts of obtaining oxycodone by fraud and trafficking charges.
Sarasota Sheriff Expresses Disappointment in Two Main Pharmacies Accused of Filling Fake Prescriptions.
The two pharmacies targeted by the drug ring allegedly filled more than 100 of the fraudulent prescriptions in a short amount of time. According to the Herald-Tribune, the Sarasota Sheriff’s Office works to educate pharmacies to notice warning signs. The sheriff stated that the pharmacies should have notified the authorities since there were hundreds of similar prescriptions, being brought in by similar customers, all allegedly written by the same doctor. According to the Herald-Tribune, the pharmacies are currently being investigated.
Click here to read the article from the Herald-Tribune.
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Comments?
Given the information in the blog, do you think the two main pharmacies that were filling the fraudulent prescriptions should have notified the authorities? Please leave any thoughtful comments below.
Sources:
Rose, Wendy. “Operation Main Pain Includes 61 Arrests.” Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office. (September 19, 2013). From: http://www.sarasotasheriff.org/press_detail.asp?R=13-182
Johnson, Elizabeth. “More Than 60 Arrested in Drug Fraud Ring.” Herald-Tribune. (September 19, 2013). From: http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20130919/ARTICLE/130919529?tc=ar
Bradenton Herald. “61 Charged with Prescription Drug Fraud in Manatee, Sarasota.” Bradenton Herald. (September 19, 2013). From: http://www.bradenton.com/2013/09/19/4726950/61-charged-with-prescription-drug.html
About the Author: George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., is Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law. He is the President and Managing Partner of The Health Law Firm, which has a national practice. Its main office is in the Orlando, Florida, area. www.TheHealthLawFirm.com The Health Law Firm, 1101 Douglas Ave., Altamonte Springs, FL 32714, Phone: (407) 331-6620.
“The Health Law Firm” is a registered fictitious business name of George F. Indest III, P.A. – The Health Law Firm, a Florida professional service corporation, since 1999.
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