The New Golden Standard –

Dec 19 2019 – Among other things, according to federal prosecutors, Ahmed and co-conspirators collected generous kickbacks from urine analysis laboratories looking to cash in on the well-known lucrative practice of repeatedly testing someone’s urine, regardless if the results came out clean or dirty. … Ahmed, along with his brother, Sebastian—who has denied involvement in any criminal activity—owned three drug treatment centers and a chain of sober homes, halfway houses occupied by people in recovery who have left inpatient drug treatment facilities. Those two sets of facilities, in turn, supplied a steady stream of clients to testing labs and generally collected payouts for dubious or nonexistent services, according to the feds. The brothers’ businesses collected roughly $5.9 million in payments from the insurance companies between 2016 and 2019, prosecutors said. 

The Ahmeds are central figures in a wide-ranging crackdown of South Florida’s shadowy yet highly lucrative drug addiction treatment industry. With its long history as a place where people can seek wellness amid glorious sunshine and calming ocean waves, the area is a magnet for drug treatment entrepreneurship. But in recent years, the region has become a breeding ground for unethical operators running laboratories… 

Full Story @Vice