News (Media Awareness Project) - US NC: Ring Had Its Center In Iredell |
| Title: | US NC: Ring Had Its Center In Iredell |
| Published On: | 2002-07-08 |
| Source: | Charlotte Observer (NC) |
| Fetched On: | 2008-01-23 00:13:08 |
RING HAD ITS CENTER IN IREDELL
STATESVILLE - The tip that helped police crack the biggest OxyContin
ring in the Charlotte region came from an addict in Greensboro.
Caught trying to pass a forged OxyContin prescription, the addict told
police about a group of people in Statesville selling hundreds of pills.
They would drive to an office supply store and copy legitimate
OxyContin prescriptions. Then, they'd drive from pharmacy to pharmacy
along I-40 and I-77, passing forged prescriptions.
At least three were from West Virginia, a state hit hard by OxyContin
abuse. When pharmacies there started questioning OxyContin
prescriptions, the men moved near friends in Iredell County. They
passed pills around at parties, introducing the painkiller to people
who had not had a serious drug abuse problem.
In early 2000, Sgt. Chris Shuskey, with the Iredell County Sheriff's
Office, knew OxyContin abuse was overwhelming parts of his community.
Crack dealers were selling OxyContin. Addicts were bouncing checks and
stealing to support their habits.
Shuskey met one addict spending $1,200 a day on OxyContin. Another,
desperate, traded a new pickup truck for five pills.
Shuskey started investigating the tip from Greensboro with help from
the Drug Enforcement Administration. Narcotics officers drove
highways, from Statesville to Salisbury to Winston-Salem to Greensboro
and beyond. At every exit, they visited pharmacies. At almost every
pharmacy, they found forged prescriptions.
Law enforcement gathered a list of 50 people involved in the ring. In
2001, police arrested 10, the major dealers. Nine have pleaded guilty,
and one is awaiting trial. None has been sentenced yet.
Overall, the group illegally obtained 50,000 OxyContin pills worth an
estimated $2 million, passing forged prescriptions and selling
OxyContin in the Carolinas and other states.
It was, officials believe, the region's largest OxyContin
bust.
"I hate to see this kind of pain management tool disappear but the
abuse factor is unbelievable," Shuskey says. "We've run into people
who have lost everything because of addiction to this drug."
Ring had its center in Iredell DEBBIE CENZIPER Staff
Writer
STATESVILLE - The tip that helped police crack the biggest OxyContin ring
in the Charlotte region came from an addict in Greensboro.
Caught trying to pass a forged OxyContin prescription, the addict told
police about a group of people in Statesville selling hundreds of pills.
They would drive to an office supply store and copy legitimate OxyContin
prescriptions. Then, they'd drive from pharmacy to pharmacy along I-40 and
I-77, passing forged prescriptions.
At least three were from West Virginia, a state hit hard by OxyContin
abuse. When pharmacies there started questioning OxyContin prescriptions,
the men moved near friends in Iredell County. They passed pills around at
parties, introducing the painkiller to people who had not had a serious
drug abuse problem.
In early 2000, Sgt. Chris Shuskey, with the Iredell County Sheriff's
Office, knew OxyContin abuse was overwhelming parts of his community. Crack
dealers were selling OxyContin. Addicts were bouncing checks and stealing
to support their habits.
Shuskey met one addict spending $1,200 a day on OxyContin. Another,
desperate, traded a new pickup truck for five pills.
Shuskey started investigating the tip from Greensboro with help from the
Drug Enforcement Administration. Narcotics officers drove highways, from
Statesville to Salisbury to Winston-Salem to Greensboro and beyond. At
every exit, they visited pharmacies. At almost every pharmacy, they found
forged prescriptions.
Law enforcement gathered a list of 50 people involved in the ring. In 2001,
police arrested 10, the major dealers. Nine have pleaded guilty, and one is
awaiting trial. None has been sentenced yet.
Overall, the group illegally obtained 50,000 OxyContin pills worth an
estimated $2 million, passing forged prescriptions and selling OxyContin in
the Carolinas and other states.
It was, officials believe, the region's largest OxyContin bust.
"I hate to see this kind of pain management tool disappear but the abuse
factor is unbelievable," Shuskey says. "We've run into people who have lost
everything because of addiction to this drug."
STATESVILLE - The tip that helped police crack the biggest OxyContin
ring in the Charlotte region came from an addict in Greensboro.
Caught trying to pass a forged OxyContin prescription, the addict told
police about a group of people in Statesville selling hundreds of pills.
They would drive to an office supply store and copy legitimate
OxyContin prescriptions. Then, they'd drive from pharmacy to pharmacy
along I-40 and I-77, passing forged prescriptions.
At least three were from West Virginia, a state hit hard by OxyContin
abuse. When pharmacies there started questioning OxyContin
prescriptions, the men moved near friends in Iredell County. They
passed pills around at parties, introducing the painkiller to people
who had not had a serious drug abuse problem.
In early 2000, Sgt. Chris Shuskey, with the Iredell County Sheriff's
Office, knew OxyContin abuse was overwhelming parts of his community.
Crack dealers were selling OxyContin. Addicts were bouncing checks and
stealing to support their habits.
Shuskey met one addict spending $1,200 a day on OxyContin. Another,
desperate, traded a new pickup truck for five pills.
Shuskey started investigating the tip from Greensboro with help from
the Drug Enforcement Administration. Narcotics officers drove
highways, from Statesville to Salisbury to Winston-Salem to Greensboro
and beyond. At every exit, they visited pharmacies. At almost every
pharmacy, they found forged prescriptions.
Law enforcement gathered a list of 50 people involved in the ring. In
2001, police arrested 10, the major dealers. Nine have pleaded guilty,
and one is awaiting trial. None has been sentenced yet.
Overall, the group illegally obtained 50,000 OxyContin pills worth an
estimated $2 million, passing forged prescriptions and selling
OxyContin in the Carolinas and other states.
It was, officials believe, the region's largest OxyContin
bust.
"I hate to see this kind of pain management tool disappear but the
abuse factor is unbelievable," Shuskey says. "We've run into people
who have lost everything because of addiction to this drug."
Ring had its center in Iredell DEBBIE CENZIPER Staff
Writer
STATESVILLE - The tip that helped police crack the biggest OxyContin ring
in the Charlotte region came from an addict in Greensboro.
Caught trying to pass a forged OxyContin prescription, the addict told
police about a group of people in Statesville selling hundreds of pills.
They would drive to an office supply store and copy legitimate OxyContin
prescriptions. Then, they'd drive from pharmacy to pharmacy along I-40 and
I-77, passing forged prescriptions.
At least three were from West Virginia, a state hit hard by OxyContin
abuse. When pharmacies there started questioning OxyContin prescriptions,
the men moved near friends in Iredell County. They passed pills around at
parties, introducing the painkiller to people who had not had a serious
drug abuse problem.
In early 2000, Sgt. Chris Shuskey, with the Iredell County Sheriff's
Office, knew OxyContin abuse was overwhelming parts of his community. Crack
dealers were selling OxyContin. Addicts were bouncing checks and stealing
to support their habits.
Shuskey met one addict spending $1,200 a day on OxyContin. Another,
desperate, traded a new pickup truck for five pills.
Shuskey started investigating the tip from Greensboro with help from the
Drug Enforcement Administration. Narcotics officers drove highways, from
Statesville to Salisbury to Winston-Salem to Greensboro and beyond. At
every exit, they visited pharmacies. At almost every pharmacy, they found
forged prescriptions.
Law enforcement gathered a list of 50 people involved in the ring. In 2001,
police arrested 10, the major dealers. Nine have pleaded guilty, and one is
awaiting trial. None has been sentenced yet.
Overall, the group illegally obtained 50,000 OxyContin pills worth an
estimated $2 million, passing forged prescriptions and selling OxyContin in
the Carolinas and other states.
It was, officials believe, the region's largest OxyContin bust.
"I hate to see this kind of pain management tool disappear but the abuse
factor is unbelievable," Shuskey says. "We've run into people who have lost
everything because of addiction to this drug."
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