Detectives with the New York City Police Department (NYPD) and special agents with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) recently busted a major drug ring that was allegedly distributing Oxycodone throughout New York City.

Law enforcement arrested several people in connection with the illegal drug trafficking operation, including a 45-year-old Glendale man and a 53-year-old Valley Stream man who are accused of being in charge of the drug distribution network. In fact, officials have described the suspects as “major traffickers” who organized and spearheaded the operation.

According to authorities, the suspects obtained the prescription painkillers from pharmacies located in Brooklyn NY and Queens NY by sending individuals, known as “runners,” to the pharmacies. The runners were given fake prescriptions, which the suspects allegedly got from a doctor’s office in Astoria, New York. Although the doctor has not yet been criminally charged in connection with the illegal drug dealing operation, prosecutors indicated that law enforcement is actively investigating the doctor’s possible involvement in the criminal enterprise and that criminal charges could be forthcoming. One thing that investigators are having difficulty understanding at this time is how the suspects were able to obtain more than 160,000 Oxycodone pills by using approximately 1,000 prescriptions written on the doctor’s prescription pads without the doctor knowing about it.

The total street value of the illegally obtained prescription drugs is believed to be almost $3 million. The suspects allegedly sold the prescription opioids to drug addicts in New York City over a period of more than five years, from December 2011 to January 2017. The drug distribution network was shut down by law enforcement during a major raid, with police officers going to the alleged ringleader’s residences in Queens and Long Island, respectively, and executing arrest warrants and search warrants.

In addition to arresting the two main suspects, police also arrested five people accused of being “runners” for the operation. The alleged runners have been charged with drug crimes ranging from illegal possession of prescription drugs to drug dealing.

NY Cracking Down on Prescription Drug Crimes

NY law enforcement has really been targeting dealers of prescription drugs in recent years. For instance, the New York State Department of Health implemented the I-STOP program in August 2016. This program required doctors who prescribed certain types of prescription opioids to use a statewide registry, which meant that pharmacies could keep tabs on the recipients’ prescription histories. In fact, according to the Office of the Special Narcotics Prosecutor for the City of New York, the implementation of I-STOP led to a slight decrease in the NYC Oxycodone ring’s activity.

The crackdown on prescription drug crimes involving Oxycodone and other opioids in NYC and elsewhere is likely to continue for the foreseeable future. That’s because federal authorities have recognized prescription opioid abuse as an epidemic. In fact, more than 60 percent of fatal drug overdoses in the United States stem from prescription drug abuse, according to statistics released by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

 

If you were charged with prescription drug possession or any other type of drug crime in NY, you should speak with a qualified criminal defense lawyer immediately. The experienced, aggressive criminal attorneys at the LaDuca Law Firm can help you fight your criminal charges. Contact us today to schedule a free initial consultation at our office in Rochester, New York.