CINCINNATI — Two top execs from a pharmaceutical wholesaler indicted this month. Two pharmacists indicted.
A federal agent tells WCPO that others passing prescription drugs and adding to the opioid crisis should take it as warning.
“We’re going to come after you. If we can do it, we’re going to do it,” said Mauricio Jimenez, DEA assistant special agent in charge.
Jimenez said the Drug Enforcement Administration is cracking down on pharmaceuticals distributors and pharmacists it believes are breaking the law, like those accused in the Miami-Luken case. The former Springboro wholesaler, two executives and two West Virginia pharmacists were charged in a conspiracy to flood rural Appalachia with millions and millions of painkiller pills, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
“You’re breaking the law, you’re killing people, you’re putting this out on the street, we’re going to do everything we can to get you,” said Jimenez.
Jimenez said these investigations can take years, but they are happening. The DEA looks at the size of companies, ratio of pills to population, how payment is accepted and more.
“When it comes to these distributors … that are doing this to gain as much money as they can, and not caring about the public, that’s a significant issue that we all must face,” Jimenez said.
Speaking for pharmacists, Mimi Hart, owner of Hart Pharmacy in West Price Hill, said most take great care to avoid overfilling. She said every prescription comes with a checklist and pharmacists look for red flags before deciding to fill it.
“If it’s from a doctor out of the area, if it’s from a very large quantity,” Hart said for example.
“I don’t know a pharmacist that hasn’t said, ‘No, I cannot fill this prescription,’ that hasn’t called the doctor and said, ‘We’re really worried about this.’ “
Today’s opioid crisis makes that scrutiny even more important. But it’s not always cut and dried, Hart said.
“You know it’s a high dose, but it’s not necessarily a high dose for this patient,” Hart said.
“Everybody is trying really hard to make sure that people are getting the pain medication that they need, that they’re not getting too much, that it’s not diverted,” Hart said.
Filed under: General Problems
Simply, with all due respect, if a legitimate long-term chronic pain patient needs a higher level of opioid in order to remain stable, should they not be allowed to obtain it on a monthly basis?
More specifically, before the DEA starts an inquiry into a physician for ”over prescribing” do they not find out why dose levels are high for specific patients, in spite of HIPAA laws?
Fred Brown
Advocate for Pain Patients Rights
The DEA knows where it all goes. Into the country, out the door of pharm mfg, out the door of a distributor or pharmacy. They know its not docs or pharm mfg. I see “opioid things” as purely an effort by the Ags for a pat day. that’s ALL.
There was a guy defending Trump on some news station tonight regarding China & the Tariffs. He stated Trump was doing a Great job stopping China from bringing in all the OPIOIDS and FENTANYL and how greateful we should be. I would be greateful if they told the
rest of the world do they would leave us alone.
Google, CIA FIRE, LANGLEY, it should come up
WHAT will Jimenez do when HE or one of his loved ones are diagnosed with a LIFE, pain generating disease, injury from an accident or doctor/surgeon screw up? WHERE will his incentive pay go then?????? While there “may” be corrupt physicians and pain management facilities in certain and certainly VERY small areas in the US, WHY is DEA causing torment for one and all honorable doctors and patients WITH documentation that we have “used as directed”??????
‘It’s All part of the DEA/DOJ/AG fantasy’
The DEA is as corrupt as the president. The pharmacy’s are filling prescriptions written by Doctors for their patients. How about they do their job an actually go after the Drug Dealers and the Real Addicts
and the people bringing the Drugs into the US and leave the Law
Abiding citizens alone.
It is bad enough that the CPP are being persecuted and deprived of
Their medication because the DEA couldn’t do their job in the first place.
Its time the so caĺled investigators, GET INVESTIGATED! WE MUST AUDIT THE DEA, THIER EVIDENCE FROM SO CALLED CRIMES AND SIEZURES AND THE WEIGHTS AND PILL COUNTS. IT HAS BEEN PROVEN THAT DEA AGENTS SELL DOPE TO DEALERS, IT IS FACT THAT THE ARREST DOCTORS WITH NO CAUSE, CIA AND DEA TOGETHER SPREAD CRACK COCAINE THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY IN THE 80s. Whose to say they didnt do the same thing with heroin and illicit fentanyl.
They had a big fire at a CIA BASE in Langley, Virginia a while back where millions of dollars of opioids and fentanyl were found. It wasn’t in the paper for very long and it certainly didn’t make the front page.
Stockpiles of opioid drugs and fentanyl, makes you wonder exactly
Who is selling to who? Where & When did this supposed crisis start?
Wow. Supposedly these drugs are destroyed when confiscated. Why are they being stock piled?
Put in CIA Fire, Langley, on Google, you can read it for
Yourself
I think I remember reading about it..I couldn’t find ANYTHING out about it again. I wasn’t surprise about the find .how can you find it AGAIN. I want to share iit..To the WORLD
The dam SCAMMING lying bastards they need to be ARRESTED for all the pain SUFFERING Tramadic STESS and SUICIDE DEATHS BECAUSE WE CAN’T HANDLE the HORRIBLE PAIN
Amen to you Kim! You are right about the lying bastards. How they live with themselves is amazing to me.