The opioid crisis has made the government crack down on the distribution and prescription of opioid painkillers and related drugs due to addiction in the general population. Patients sometimes become addicted to these medications, and they can be misused.
An Atlanta-based doctor and three residents from Bartow County have been indicted on federal charges based on allegations of the illegal distribution of opioids and other drugs following an investigation by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
According to the Sept. 11 report, the doctor had allegedly given out many illegitimate prescriptions for opioid painkillers. Those where then illegally sold on the streets by three different people. The medical provider, 86, and the three people accused of distributing the drugs, 40, 42 and 35, now are charged with conspiring to distribute and dispense controlled substances. The 40-year-old man was reportedly a former linebacker in the NFL. He and the doctor face money-laundering conspiracy charges in addition to the above charges.
The medical provider runs a weight loss clinic in Sandy Springs, but he is accused of prescribing these medications without so much as a medical examination of the patient. The three people who were also indicted are accused of taking prescriptions from the doctor and filling them for distribution.
In a case like this, the DEA will have done its job to make sure it has evidence against those accused of committing drug crimes. It is important that you seek out a strong defense if you are accused of distributing opioids or other prescription medication so that your best interests are protected.