LISTEN – Do no harm and or get caught –
Oct. 5, 2020 – Two doctors and five pharmacists are among 49 people who federal law enforcement authorities in Dallas publicly alleged last week had participated in an $18 million pill mill scheme.
The suspects were charged in U.S. District Court with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances. Forty of the defendants were arrested in the last full week in September, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Texas said. The final arrested defendant made her initial appearance in U.S. District Court on Thursday.
“By funneling addictive opioids onto our streets, these medical professionals violated both the Hippocratic oath and federal law — causing harm rather than healing, hurt rather than hope,” U.S. Attorney Erin Nealy Cox wrote in a statement. “This 49-defendant case represents a significant step in the fight against drug diversion in North Texas, and we appreciate DEA’s commitment to ensuring that all pill mill doctors and conspirators are investigated and shut down.”
