London, KY 40741. This is one of the Presidents highest priorities and we are proud to be an important part of the largest prescription opioid enforcement effort ever undertaken. For help accessing substance abuse or mental health services call the Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services Helpline: 800-560-5767 or 615-532-6700. If you, a family member, friend or loved one believe you may be a victim in any of these cases or in connection with any charged defendant, please visit the following website for additional information: https://www.justice.gov/criminal-vns/case/ARPO. In another case, a physician charged with controlled substances and health care fraud violations allegedly prescribed approximately 300,000 hydrocodone pills, 200,000 oxycodone pills, 2,500 fentanyl patches, and 180,000 benzodiazepine pills, and prescribed medically unnecessary durable medical equipment that was billed to Medicare. Assistant Special Agent in Charge Deanna Jury, Counties: We will continue working together to protect the health and well-being of all Americans and ending this terrible epidemic., Opioid misuse and abuse is an insidious epidemic, created in large part, by the over-prescribing of potent opioids nationwide, and unfortunately, Appalachiais at the center,said DEA Assistant Administrator Martin. In yet another case, a doctor allegedly dispensed controlled substances and other prescription drugs directly from the clinic, and prescribed excessive quantities of controlled substances to the same patients several times per month resulting in as many as 15 pills per day for some patients. State of Georgia government websites and email systems use georgia.gov or ga.gov at the end of the address. All rights reserved. Torrance Nicely is charged with trafficking fentanyl and selling heroin. Regional Investigative Offices. After a several month-long drug trafficking investigation conducted by the Banks County Sheriffs Office, Habersham County Sheriffs Office, and the Appalachian Regional Drug Enforcement Office (ARDEO), a search warrant was executed Friday at 741 Grant Mill Road in Alto and a traffic stop was made on Highway 365 in Cornelia. In the Northern District of West Virginia, a case was brought against an orthopedic surgeon who allegedly used fraudulent prescriptions to obtain tablets of acetaminophen-codeine for his own use. Like many other regions of the United States, North Georgia communities have been inundated in recent years with drug overdose deaths. Before sharing sensitive or personal information, make sure youre on an official state website. Officials said with the amount of liquid methamphetamine solution found, the lab was likely capable of producing more than 700 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine, with a . . The toll-free substance abuse number is 1-844-307-1760. August 28, 2017. The MITRE Corporation released a report on May 27 confirming the security of Georgias election system. The mission of the ARPO Strike Force is to identify and investigate health care fraud schemes in the Appalachian region and surrounding areas, and to effectively and efficiently prosecute medical professionals and others involved in the illegal prescription and distribution of opioids. Meriwether, Muscogee, Pike, Spalding, The search warrant and traffic stop yielded approximately 100 grams of meth, approximately 15 grams of heroin, firearms, pills, and other illegal narcotics along with several thousand dollars. In yet another case, a doctor was charged for allegedly prescribing opioids to Facebook friends who would come to his home to pick up prescriptions, and for signing prescriptions for other persons based on messenger requests to his office manager, who then allegedly delivered the signed prescriptions in exchange for cash. Banks, Barrow, Cherokee, Clarke, Dawson, Elbert, Fannin, Forsyth, Franklin, Gilmer, Greene,Habersham, Hall, Hart, Jackson, Lincoln, Lumpkin, Madison, Morgan, Oconee, Oglethorpe,Pickens, Rabun, Stephens, Taliaferro, Towns, Union, Walton,White, Wilkes. The Appalachian Regional Drug Enforcement Office is a multi-agency unit that consists of the following Sheriffs Offices: White County, Lumpkin County, Banks County, Jackson County, Habersham County, Stephens County, Rabun County, Franklin County, Gilmer County, Fannin County, the Cleveland Police Department and the Toccoa Police Department, along with the Georgia National Guard Counter Drug Task Force, the Georgia State Patrol, Georgia Department of Community Supervisor, and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. Jan 15, 2019. The Drug Enforcement and Professional Practices Branch (DEPPB) staffadministers and enforces the Kentucky Controlled Substances Act (KRS 218A), the Kentucky Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (KRS 217) and the Kentucky All Schedule Prescription Electronic Reporting (KASPER) program. Three of these cases are related to alleged pill mill operations in the Eastern District of Tennessee. No front page content has been created yet. Torrance Nicely, 34, was charged with trafficking fentanyl and the sale of heroin. Two doctors were charged with health care fraud violations. On Monday, August 22, 2022, the Appalachian Regional Drug Enforcement Office (ARDEO), Georgia Department of Community Supervision, Habersham County Sheriff's Office, Cornelia Police Department, and Baldwin Police Department executed a search warrant at 1283 Shore Street in Baldwin, GA. The Appalachian Regional Drug Enforcement Office is a multi-agency unit that consists of sheriffs offices across the region, including Habersham County. The Appalachian Regional Drug Enforcement Office is a multi-agency unit that consists of the following Sheriffs Offices: White County, Lumpkin County, Banks County, Jackson County, Habersham County, Stephens County, Rabun County, Franklin County, Gilmer County, Fannin County, the Cleveland Police Department and the Toccoa Police Department, along with the Georgia National Guard Counter Drug Task Force, the Georgia State Patrol, Georgia Department of Community Supervision, and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. Todays announcement sends a clear message that investigations involving diversion of prescription drugshavebeen, andcontinueto be, a priority for DEA., CMS CPIis proud to work very closely everyday with our law enforcement partners to stop the exploitation of vulnerable patients and misuse of taxpayer dollars, said Deputy Administrator and Director of Center for Program Integrity Alexander. The defendant allegedly pre-signed prescriptions for controlled substances, including oxycodone, for patients whom he did not personally examine to determine medical necessity for the prescriptions, and pre-signed prescriptions for controlled substances while he was travelling internationally. Robert Richards. According to the CDC, approximately 130 Americans die every day of an opioid overdose. Region 1; Region 2; Region 3; Region 4; Region 5; Region 6; Region 7; Region 8; Region 9; Region 10; Region 11; Region 12; Region 13; Region 14; Region 15; Regional Drug Enforcement Offices. The Trump Administrations law enforcement and public health leaders will continue to work hand in hand to end this crisis that has hit Appalachia hard and steals far too many lives across America every day.. The Appalachian Regional Drug Enforcement Office is a multi-jurisdictional unit which includes the following sheriff's offices: White County, Lumpkin County, Towns County, Banks County, Jackson . 2023 Jacobs Media Corporation. The approximate street value of the drugs is $8,000. The Hall County Sheriff's Office, Jackson County Sheriff's Office, Banks County Sheriff's Office, ARDEO, Georgia State Patrol and Drug Enforcement Agency Atlanta Field Division were all involved in the investigation. A practitioner who is unable to comply with the These cases were brought with assistance from the FBI, DEA, HHS-OIG, and the Kentucky Medicaid Fraud Control Unit. Appalachian Regional Drug Enforcement Office (ARDEO) agents received information of suspicious activity occurring at the address of 2064 New Franklin Church Road, Canon, GA. This case was brought in connection with assistance from the DEA and HHS-OIG. The following arrests were made at the residence: For additional information about Appalachian RDEO or to provide tips on criminal activity look for [emailprotected] on twitter or follow on [emailprotected] and/or Instagram. Tennessee: If you are seeking help in Tennessee: West Virginia: If you are in West Virginia and are suffering with addiction you can find help by calling 1-844-HELP-4WV or logging in at https://HelpandHopeWV.org, For individuals seeking help in other states, please call 1-800-662-HELP. The investigation is ongoing. Before sharing sensitive or personal information, make sure youre on an official state website. Separately, a pharmacist was charged for allegedly dispensing large amounts of opioids outside the usual scope of professional practice and for no legitimate medical purpose. How you know. Another doctor charged with controlled substances violations allegedly prescribed approximately 4.2 million opioid pills, sometimes in dangerous combinations with other drugs, such as benzodiazepines, and prescribed opioids to known addicts. This case was brought in connection with assistance from the DEA and HHS-OIG. The Fraud Section leads the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, which is part of a joint initiative between the Department of Justice and HHS to focus their efforts to prevent and deter fraud and enforce current anti-fraud laws around the country. Two people were arrested on Tuesday, Feb. 28, in a multi-agency drug investigation in Elbert County. For a referral to addiction treatment services, call the Tennessee REDLINE: 800-889-9789. Since its inception in March 2007, the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, which maintains 14 strike forces operating in 23 districts, has charged nearly 4,000 defendants who have collectively billed the Medicare program for more than $14 billion. Agents with the Appalachian Regional Drug Enforcement Office arrested a Gainesville man on October26 who is accused of trafficking and selling drugs. Agents with the Appalachian Regional Drug Enforcement Office said they recovered 255 gallons of liquid methamphetamine solution and 5 kilograms of finished crystal meth. The Appalachian Regional Drug Enforcement Office, Hall County Sheriffs Office, DEA Atlanta HIDTA, Georgia State Patrol, and Georgia National Guard Counterdrug Task Force investigated this case. The defendant allegedly knew that certain of these patients used their Medicare Part D and Medicaid benefits to pay for the medically unnecessary prescriptions. According to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, the lab was equipped to manufacture crystal methamphetamine and was located in a horse stable. Local, state, and federal government websites often end in .gov. Read The Northeast Georgian, Cornelia, Georgia, Mailing Address: Two cases involve doctors who were previously sanctioned by the Tennessee Medical Board in connection with the overprescribing of opioids, one of whom was sanctioned for providing prescriptions to vulnerable patients, while the other allegedly prescribed opioid pills after serving a Board imposed term of probation. Appalachia Hidta. Attorney General William P. Barr and Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex M. Azar II, together with multiple law enforcement partners, today announced enforcement actions involving 60 charged defendants across 11 federal districts, including 31 doctors, seven pharmacists, eight nurse practitioners, and seven other licensed medical professionals, for their alleged participation in the illegal prescribing and distributing of opioids and other dangerous narcotics and for health care fraud schemes. It is also vital that Americans struggling with addiction have access to treatment and that patients who need pain treatment do not see their care disrupted, which is why federal and local public health authorities have coordinated to ensure these needs are met in the wake of this enforcement operation. Nowhere is this collaboration more important than in our fight against the opioid crisis in America. We will not stand by and allow the harmful and oftentimes deadly practice of over-prescribing highly addictive drugs to continue unchecked. Gainesville-based Peach State Bank & Trust was recently named among the top extraordinary banks in the United States. In addition to the ARPO Strike Force districts, todays enforcement actions include cases brought in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and the Eastern District of Louisiana. In one case, a doctor who is alleged to have been at one time the highest prescriber of controlled substances in the state, and several pharmacists are charged with operating an alleged pill mill in Dayton, Ohio. London, KY 40741. Greater Hardin County Narcotics Task Force, DEA Middle TennesseeDrug and Violent Crime Task Force, Domestic Highway Enforcement Interdiction Plus, Middle Tennessee Drug Related Death Task Force, Sullivan County Drug-Related Death Task Force, Southwest Virginia Regional Drug Task Force, Beckley-Raleigh County Drug and Violent Crime Unit, Hancock Brooke Weirton Drug & Violent Crime Task Force, Huntington Drug and Violent Crimes Task Force, Parkersburg Violent Crime and Drug Task Force, 400 South Main Street For additional information about Appalachian RDEO or to provide tips on criminal activity look for ARDEO@appalachiandtf on twitter or follow on facebook@appalachianrdeo and/or Instagram. Authorities also seized $205,000 in cash, two vehicles and two firearms. Sgt. We will continue to work tirelessly through investigation, data coordination and administrative action to protect the health and wellbeing of all Americans.. In the Southern District of West Virginia, a doctor was charged with allegedly distributing narcotics, including dextroamphetamine, methylphenidate, and amphetamine salt, to a patient who did not have a medical need for the drugs and whom the doctor never examined. In another case, a nurse practitioner charged with conspiracy to unlawfully distribute controlled substances allegedly prescribed over 500,000 Hydrocodone pills, approximately 300,000 Oxycodone pills, and approximately 300,000 benzodiazepine pills (mostly Alprazolam), along with a myriad of other controlled substances. In addition, the operation . The Kentucky Office of Drug Control Policy says fentanyl was identified in 73% of overdose deaths in 2021. Send by mail to Drug Enforcement and Professional Practices Branch at the address shown on the form or by email to KASPER.. In the Northern District of Alabama, multiple individuals were charged in five cases, including four doctors. One of the Department's most promising new initiatives is the Criminal Division's Appalachian Regional Prescription Opioid Strike Force, which began its work in December. Cleveland, GA - The Appalachian Regional Drug Enforcement Office (ARDEO) has introduced a new plan in its operating area to respond to drug overdoses. Agents with the Appalachian Regional Drug Enforcement Office said they recovered 255 gallons of liquid methamphetamine solution and 5 kilograms of finished crystal meth. Christopher E. Hosey, GBI Assistant Director, Cynthia Adkins, Deputy Director of Investigations, Child Exploitation And Computer Crimes Unit, GA Law Enforcement Criminal Intelligence Analysis Certification Program. In the Western District of Kentucky, a doctor was charged with controlled substance and health care fraud counts in connection with providing pre-signed, blank prescriptions to office staff who then used them to prescribe controlled substances when he was out of the office, and for directing staff at the clinic, including individuals not licensed to practice medicine, to perform medical services on patients.