Federal officials break up Jacksonville pill mill

Posted Oct 15, 2011 by THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Updated Oct 15, 2011 at 10:12 PM

JACKSONVILLE — Federal authorities have arrested a group of Jacksonville doctors and other people charged in a federal indictment with running a multimillion-dollar pill mill operation that led to at least one death.

The Florida Times-Union reports that a three-count, grand jury indictment accused 13 people of scheming to profit off patients. The indictment alleges the 13 sold painkiller prescriptions from December 2009 until late July 2010. The buyers of highly addictive oxycodone and Xanax came primarily from Ohio, Kentucky and Tennessee. Many returned home to sell the drugs at a profit for themselves.

Doctors sometimes earned as much as $12,000 a week, records show.

The federal indictment followed a nearly two-year investigation by the DEA, FBI and Jacksonville police that has already led to charges against others.