CLEVELAND, Ohio - Illegal drugs-on-demand operations in seven states and Puerto Rico that made use of the Internet and phony prescriptions have been broken up in a federal bust, authorities announced Thursday, and they say the leader of one of the rings is a Forsyth County man.
The operations, one led by alleged ringleader James Hazelwood, 39, of Cumming and another allegedly directed by a dentist in the Cleveland, Ohio, area, Michael Wai Jing Kwong, 42, of Avon Lake, catered to people seeking highly addictive painkillers and anti-anxiety drugs.
The busts represent a major federal initiative against "pill mills" that illegally deal in prescription drugs, U.S. Attorney Steven Dettelbach said. He said the operations netted millions of dollars in profits and led to countless illegal drug buys.
One indictment charged 12 people, including three doctors, and two companies. The defendants in Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Missouri, New York, New Jersey and Puerto Rico are accused of illegally selling painkillers and other drugs online.
The companies were USMeds LLC run by Hazelwood and Brennan & DePaoli Inc., doing business as Delta Health and owned by a defendant in Jacksonville, Fla. There was no phone listing for USMeds in Cumming. A message seeking comment was left at Delta Health offices in Jacksonville.
"It was the customers, not the medical health-care providers, who often selected the type of controlled substances they would receive," Dettelbach said.
Undercover agents obtained drugs in 21 instances, often without having a physical exam and sometimes without even talking to a doctor, Dettelbach said.
Some agents got drugs after providing phony medical records, with one purporting to be for a pregnant man. Another "patient" had a dog's name and was described as suffering from excessive barking and taking a drug used to treat canine heart worm.
The charges include conspiracy to traffic in pharmaceuticals over the Internet, drug trafficking, conspiracy to launder money and running a criminal enterprise.
The second indictment charged Kwong, his assistant and a third person with dealing in painkillers through bogus prescriptions. The charges in the second indictment include conspiracy to distribute and distribution of drugs.
Hazelwood could not be reached for comment. There was no answer at James Hazelwood listings in Cumming and court records did not reflect an attorney representing him.
Kwong's attorney, John Pyle, said his client would plead not guilty and contest the charges.
Saturday
November 30th, 2024
12:27PM
