Another Broward Pain Clinic Raided By Police
So another Broward County pain clinic has been raided by police.
What else is new?
News website
www.local10.com reports that police have raided another clinic in an ongoing investigation of
"pill mills" in South Florida.
South Florida's pain clinics are often legitimate operations that provide medication to people in need. Pain clinics employ doctors who prescribe medication to those who perhaps can't afford traditional means of obtaining treatment.
Pain clinics may prescribe a wide variety of medications, but the State of Florida is most interested in pain clinics that distribute
oxycodone (OxyContin).
Oxycodone is a powerful prescription painkiller. For post-operative patients or people who suffer from great pain, it is a good remedy. However, the State of Florida believes that pain clinics may be distributing these drugs to traffickers and addicts.
And with the election of Attorney General Pam Bondi, going after pain clinics that distribute oxycodone has become a top priority. In fact, a Fort Lauderdale Police representative said that, "These pill mill doctors, if you want to call them that, are nothing more than drug dealers in lab coats preying on addicts for the sole purpose of greed and money."
It is evident that law enforcement is on Attorney General Bondi's side in going after these pain clinics. This means that licensed, hard-working doctors may find themselves under police investigation just for operating a business that the State of Florida doesn't particularly like.
In Florida, trafficking in prescription drugs is worse than murder. The sentences are high and mandatory, which means that even a first-time offender can do lots of time in prison.
I have represented clients charged with prescription drug trafficking. I am a
criminal defense attorney who serves Miami-Dade and Broward.