Drug Rehab News: Feds Bust $15M Phony Prescription Drug Ring
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Five people have been indicted by a federal grand jury in a $15 million scheme that provided powerful prescription drugs to thousands of customers nationwide. Prescription drug addiction and abuse account for almost as many broken families, ruined lives and deaths as street drugs, and are as common as street drug addictions at many drug rehab centers. The 102-count indictment from the U.S. attorney's office in Charlotte, NC, alleges that between 2002 and 2006, the five conspired to use false prescriptions to distribute powerful and addictive painkillers such as hydrocodone and anxiety medications including alprazolam. The fake prescriptions used a photocopied doctor’s signature and were issued after telephone conversations with customers. The service was offered in most states, primarily over the Internet. According to the DEA, illicit distribution of prescription drugs over the Internet has reached dangerous levels, fueling new addictions and the need for drug rehab across the country. Treatment professionals who for years saw mostly alcohol and street drug cases are now handling record numbers of prescription drug addicts in drug rehab centers. The indictment of the five conspirators calls for forfeiture of money earned, about two-thirds of which went to Alvin Woody, 58, a pharmacist who owned Woody Pharmacy in Mooresville, North Carolina, and Denver, Colorado, according to court papers. The four other co-conspirators were the owner and operator of Your Online Doctor from Vermont, a doctor in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, a relative of the website owner in New York City, and a podiatrist in Riverside, California. All have been arrested, according to the U.S. Attorney’s office. Woody, a licensed pharmacist since 1975, faces two counts of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances. Each count carries a maximum five-year prison sentence. The four others are each charged with one count of conspiracy. The indictment also charges Woody and at least one of the others with 81 counts of distributing controlled substances. Each of those counts also carries a maximum five-year prison sentence. In addition, the defendants face 19 counts of money laundering, which carry 10- or 20-year maximum sentences and maximum fines of up to $250,000 for each count. Many states have serious prescription drug problems Alabama, West Virginia, and Florida are three of note - and it is crimes such as these that are pushing addiction statistics out the roof. The fact that drugs are legal doesn’t mean their safe. If you or anyone you care about has a problem with prescription drug addiction or abuse, get help from a successful drug rehab.
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