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South Florida physician charged after pill mill raid by drug enforcement agents

Seven people, including a local doctor, were arrested and charged with illegally dispensing and distributing oxycodone.
Due to a recent drug enforcement raid, seven South Florida residents face federal charges of illegal dispensing and handing out a variety of powerful drugs, including a well-known highly addictive drug, oxycodone.
After the raid and the arrest of those on the premises of the pill mill, there was a 20-count indictment against the defendants. Those charged included the local clinic’s owner and a Boca Raton doctor, Vijay Chowdary. The litany of charges include, but are not limited to, maintaining drug-involved premises, money laundering and possessing controlled substances.
Schedule II drugs, such as oxycodone, are known for ultimately being responsible for causing more drug overdose deaths than heroin and cocaine combined. They have a higher likelihood of being abused, as they may be injected, snorted, dissolved or crushed to achieve a quick high.
The premises raided belonged to Intracoastal Medical Groups, Inc. in Broward County. The clinic allegedly offered patients prescriptions for various controlled substances without any existing medical issues and with only a cursory medical examination. According to witnesses and investigators – who had been on the case for months – traffickers and addicts would frequent the clinic to get as many of the pills as they could.
Further evidence suggested the clinic faked medical documents, tests and allegedly issued fake identity cards to make it appear that all of their patients lived in Florida, when in fact, many of them came from other states to obtain drugs for eventual resale elsewhere. On the surface, this case appeared to be about diverting highly addictive drugs to sell them for profit at the expense of the clinic’s patients.
Convicted defendants could face, in total, up to 60 years for distributing, dispensing, and aiding and abetting the distribution and dispensing of oxycodone outside the usual parameters of professional practice and not for a legitimate medical purpose; for conspiracy to distribute, dispense and possess oxycodone and for maintaining a location for the distribution of narcotics.
Even though the evidence may suggest the seven defendants are guilty of what they have been charged with, this is not always the case. Evidence can tell more than just one story. Furthermore, just because someone was on the premises when the clinic was raided, does not, in and of itself, indicate they were involved in any way with what may or may not have been going on there.
Anyone that is facing drug charges, or has been charged, needs to speak to a competent defense attorney. There are a number of vitally important questions that need to be answered, such as: did the police have the right or probably cause to search the clinic and/or other related locations, did they need a search warrant to personally search the seven individuals on the premises and/or their vehicles and homes, was the search and seizure carried out in a timely manner, and how relevant and current was the information used to conduct the search and seizure?
Drug cases have many legal issues that may result in the evidence being thrown out or suppressed. Do not wait to call an experience criminal defense attorney. Your case may stand a chance of being dismissed.
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Categories: Criminal Defense
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