More Arrests Anticipated in Florida's Illegal OxyContin Drug Ring
by Jim Brown
August 11, 2005
(AgapePress) - More public school employees in Miami-Dade County, Florida, may face charges for taking part in a prescription drug ring that illegally sold thousands of highly addictive painkillers. A federal grand jury recently indicted 29 people with 84 counts of participating in a scheme to obtain OxyContin with counterfeit or fraudulent prescriptions and to possess the drug with the intent to distribute. According to Associated Press, those indicted include school bus drivers, bus attendants, and other employees -- no teachers -- and no evidence has surfaced of sales of the drug to children. All school employees indicted have been removed from contact with students.
Alex Acosta, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, says a handful of the defendants recruited fellow Miami-Dade public school employees to take part in the scheme to sell the drug known on the street as "Hillbilly Heroin."
"They would obtain fraudulent prescriptions, [then] go to area pharmacies -- approximately 50 pharmacies were a part of this," Acosta explains. "Those pharmacies, without knowledge that the prescriptions were counterfeit, would fill the prescriptions. The individuals would then sell the filled prescriptions to co-defendants, who would then pass them along for distribution."
Acosta says the individuals charged in the indictment could face some stiff prison time. "Some individuals are under the mistaken impression that federal prosecutors focus on the big, international drug rings -- and that's not true," he says.
"We're part of this community; we live in these communities. And when there are organizations that distribute [illegal drugs] -- especially organizations composed of individuals who have access to children -- we will take that very, very seriously."
The attorney says he is not aware that any school employees were under the influence while acting as school employees. He adds that he has reason to believe more individuals may be arrested in the future. Prosecutors tell AP that those charged in the indictment case face up to 20 years in prison and a $1 million fine for each count of possession of OxyContin with intent to distribute, as well as additional prison time and fines for alleged fraud.
