U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agents and local Florida police arrested 20 people, including at least five physicians, on Wednesday, as part of a lengthy undercover operation targeting illegal pill mills, according to a FOX News report.
Notable arrests included the physician son of Broward County's medical examiner. Six people were charged in a federal indictment, and others face state charges, according to the report. The indictment asserts that the six people operated a network of clinics and found prospective patients on the internet, using domain names that captured searches for pain medication, according to the report.
In a chilling warning to physicians and clinic owners, Mark R. Trouville, chief of the Miami DEA field office, said at a news conference, "We have probably bought dope from you, and we're coming to see you soon."
The lengthy undercover operation comes after months of scrutiny into Florida's illegal pain clinics. According to the report, state officials recently said that 85 percent of all oxycodone pills sold in the United States come from Florida.
Read the FOX News report on pill mill crackdowns.
Read more on Florida pain clinics:
-More Proposed Legislation Targets Pain Clinics
-Fla. County Commissioners Seek Ban on Pain Clinics
-Florida Department of Health Shuts Down Pain Management Clinic for Violating State Statute
Notable arrests included the physician son of Broward County's medical examiner. Six people were charged in a federal indictment, and others face state charges, according to the report. The indictment asserts that the six people operated a network of clinics and found prospective patients on the internet, using domain names that captured searches for pain medication, according to the report.
In a chilling warning to physicians and clinic owners, Mark R. Trouville, chief of the Miami DEA field office, said at a news conference, "We have probably bought dope from you, and we're coming to see you soon."
The lengthy undercover operation comes after months of scrutiny into Florida's illegal pain clinics. According to the report, state officials recently said that 85 percent of all oxycodone pills sold in the United States come from Florida.
Read the FOX News report on pill mill crackdowns.
Read more on Florida pain clinics:
-More Proposed Legislation Targets Pain Clinics
-Fla. County Commissioners Seek Ban on Pain Clinics
-Florida Department of Health Shuts Down Pain Management Clinic for Violating State Statute