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. Finally, a podiatrist was charged with unlawful distribution of controlled substances. A practitioner who is unable to comply with the Additional documents related to this announcement are available here: https://www.justice.gov/opa/documents-and-resources-april-17-2019-press-conference, Charges Involve Over 350 Thousand Prescriptions for Controlled Substances and Over 32 Million Pills; ARPO Strike Force Grows to 10 Districts, Expanding to Include the Western District of Virginia. Sgt. London, KY 40741. 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. In addition to assistance provided by the FBI, DEA, HHS-OIG, the Office of Personnel Management, the U.S. Marshalls Service, these cases were brought in connection with assistance from the Caln Township Police. Departments of Veterans Affairs Office of Investigations. 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. According to Assistant Special Agent in Charge Michael Marlar with the Appalachian Regional Drug Enforcement Office, the arrests came last Thursday after a routine traffic stop. In addition, the APRO Strike Force works closely with other state and federal law enforcement agencies, including the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, State Medicaid Fraud Control Units. The Appalachia HIDTA mission is to enhance and coordinate drug enforcement efforts of local, state and federal law enforcement agencies within areas designated as High Intensity . Appalachia HIDTA Program Overview. Just four months later, this team of federal agents and 14 prosecutors has charged 60 defendants for alleged crimes related to millions of prescription opioids. Agents obtained and executed a search warrant at the location and discovered an active methamphetamine conversion lab inside one of the buildings on the property. In addition, the operation . The ARPO Strike Force operates out of two hubs based in the Cincinnati, Ohio/Northern Kentucky and Nashville, Tennessee, areas, supporting the 10 districts that make up the ARPO Strike Force region. In a mental health crisis, call the Statewide Crisis Line: 855-CRISIS-1 (855-274-7471). 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. In another case, an advanced practice registered nurse at a pain management clinic allegedly wrote prescriptions for opioids that had no legitimate medical purpose and that were outside the usual course of professional practice. 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. Assistant Special Agent in Charge Aaron Maupin, Counties: We will continue to work tirelessly through investigation, data coordination and administrative action to protect the health and wellbeing of all Americans.. London, KY 40741. In another case, a doctor, a Florida compounding pharmacy and its owner were charged in connection with a scheme that involved the payment of alleged kickbacks in return for writing prescriptions for compounded drugs that included controlled substances, and for fraudulently inflating the costs for prescriptions that were billed for reimbursement by Medicare and TRICARE. An official website of the United States government. Investigative Offices & Services. 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. Chad Brown, SA. Agents with the Appalachian Regional Drug Enforcement Office arrested a Gainesville man on October 26 who is accused of trafficking and selling drugs. 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. How you know. In the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, a former licensed practical nurse allegedly filled fraudulent prescriptions for oxycodone in her name and in the names of others at a local pharmacy in order to obtain the pills for herself and to distribute to others. In the Western District of Tennessee, 15 individuals were charged, involving eight doctors and several other medical professionals. A large portion of these deaths have been . Local, state, and federal government websites often end in .gov. Talbot, Taylor, Troup, Upson. 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 street value of at least $7.8 million. Both had federal warrants for their arrest. 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. Attorney General Barr and Secretary Azar were joined in the announcement by Assistant Attorney General Brian Benczkowski of the Justice Departments Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney Robert M. Duncan Jr. for the Eastern District of Kentucky; U.S. Attorney Russell M. Coleman for the Western District of Kentucky; U.S. Attorney Benjamin C. Glassman for the Southern District of Ohio; U.S. Attorney William J. Powell for the Northern District of West Virginia; U.S. Attorney Michael B. Stuart for the Southern District of West Virginia; U.S. Attorney J. Douglas Overbey for the Eastern District of Tennessee; U.S. Attorney Don Cochran for the Middle District of Tennessee; U.S. Attorney D. Michael Dunavant for the Western District of Tennessee; U.S. Attorney Jay E. Town for the Northern District of Alabama; U.S. Attorney Thomas T. Cullen for the Western District of Virginia; Executive Assistant Director Amy Hess of the FBIs Criminal, Cyber, Response, and Services Branch; Deputy Inspector General for Investigations Gary L. Cantrell of the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), Assistant Administrator John J. Martin of the DEA Diversion Control Division, and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Deputy Administrator and Director of the Center for Program Integrity (CPI) Alec Alexander. Due to the size of the lab, agents said they contacted the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration Clan Lab Team to help collect evidence and dispose of hazardous materials. In the Northern District of Alabama, multiple individuals were charged in five cases, including four doctors. An official website of the State of Georgia. On Monday, August 22, 2022, the Appalachian Regional Drug Enforcement Office (ARDEO), Georgia Department of Community Supervision, Habersham County Sheriffs Office, Cornelia Police Department, and Baldwin Police Department executed a search warrant at 1283 Shore Street in Baldwin, GA. Close. These cases were brought with assistance from the FBI, DEA, and HHS-OIG, as well as the Ohio Attorney General's Office, Medicaid Fraud Control Unit; the Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation Ohio; the Ohio Board of Pharmacy and the Ohio Medical Board. In addition to assistance provided by the FBI, DEA, HHS-OIG, these cases were brought in connection with assistance from the U.S. Since July 2017, DEA has issued 31 immediate suspension orders, 129 orders to show cause, and received 1,386 surrenders for cause nationwide for violations of the Controlled Substances Act. Contact Appalachian RDEO. State of Georgia government websites and email systems use georgia.gov or ga.gov at the end of the address. The ARPO Strike Force is made up of prosecutors and data analysts with the HCF Unit, prosecutors with the 10 U.S. Attorneys Offices in the region, including the newly added Western District of Virginia, and special agents with the FBI, HHS-OIG and DEA. After a several month-long drug trafficking investigation conducted by the Banks County Sheriff's Office, Habersham County Sheriff's 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. This line is staffed Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. CT. Agents with the Appalachian Regional Drug Enforcement Office arrested a Gainesville man on October26 who is accused of trafficking and selling drugs. The drugs had an approximate street value of $91,850. The Gwinnett County Police Department is searching for a missing Dacula man who has dementia. KRS 218A.182 took effect Jan. 1, 2021 and mandates electronic prescribing of controlled substances (EPCS) in Kentucky. Read The Northeast Georgian, Cornelia, Georgia, Mailing Address: Agents seized 13 pounds of fentanyl with a street value of $32,500 during the arrest. Agents with the Appalachian Regional Drug Enforcement Office said they recovered 255 gallons of liquid methamphetamine solution and 5 kilograms of finished crystal meth. 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. Local, state, and federal government websites often end in .gov. 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. These cases were brought with assistance from the FBI, DEA, HHS-OIG, and the Defense Criminal Investigative Service, as well as the Kentucky State Police, the Louisville Metropolitan Police Department, the Kentucky Office of Inspector General, the Kentucky Department of Insurance, and the Kentucky Medicaid Fraud Control Unit. The drugs had an approximate street value of $91,850. Cedar Bluff, VA Twin County Narcotics Task Force.