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SDPD Staffing, Resource Issues Raise Public Safety Concerns | NBC 7 San Diego
This story is being repeated all over the country. The latest chapter is spelled out in this story out of San Diego.
SDPD Staffing, Resource Issues Raise Public Safety Concerns | NBC 7 San Diego.
HSI arrests 638 gang members during month-long operation
WASHINGTON — More than 600 gang members and associates from 145 different gangs were arrested in 179 cities across the U.S. during Project Southbound, a month-long operation executed by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), which targeted gangs affiliated with the Sureños.
The Sureños, also known as Sur 13, is a transnational criminal street gang that originated in Southern California with hundreds of cliques around the United States. The Sureños and their affiliates pay tribute to the Mexican Mafia and the number “13” is their symbol signifying “M” in the alphabet for Mexican Mafia. Membership and cliques associated with the Sureños are expanding faster than any other national-level gang in the United States, according to the U.S. Department of Justice’s National Gang Intelligence Center’s 2011 National Gang Threat Assessment. Sureños gang members are involved in a myriad of criminal activity, including murder, extortion, narcotics trafficking, human trafficking, prostitution and other crimes with a nexus to the border.
Through Project Southbound, which ran March 12 to April 13, HSI special agents worked with 150 federal, state and local law enforcement partners to apprehend individuals from various gangs affiliated with the Sureños. More than 73 percent of those arrested during this HSI National Gang Unit-led operation were members or associates of the Sureños.
In addition to the 638 gang members and associates, HSI agents also arrested – or assisted in the arrest of – 119 other individuals on federal and/or state criminal violations and administrative immigration violations, for a total of 757 arrests.
“Project Southbound is the largest-ever ICE operation targeting the Sureños gang,” said ICE Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Thomas S. Winkowski. “This gang now has more than 30,000 members in the United States and its numbers are growing. Targeting transnational gangs like the Sureños is a top priority for ICE and we will continue to disrupt and dismantle the violence and criminal activities that they inflict upon our neighborhoods.”
Of the 638 gang members or associates arrested: 525 were charged with criminal offenses; 113 were arrested administratively for immigration violations; 414 had violent criminal histories, including seven individuals wanted for murder and five wanted for rape or sexual assault; and 256 were foreign nationals.
Among the Sureños gang members or associates arrested during Project Southbound were:
- Cesar Lisandro Anaya, 27, an El Salvadoran national and an 18th Street gang member, arrested in Dallas, Texas, on immigration-related charges. He is wanted in El Salvador on felony warrants for aggravated homicide, extortion, and illicit groupings (gang activity).
- Nine MS-13 gang members arrested on RICO charges filed in the District of Maryland stemming from their involvement in multiple criminal acts including murder, assault, extortion and prostitution, in furtherance of MS-13.
- Richard Allen Cotinola, a U.S. citizen and Brewtown Locos gang member, arrested in New Mexico on an outstanding state warrant for violation of parole related to a previous conviction for aggravated burglary with a weapon. He has previous convictions for aggravated burglary with a weapon and armed robbery.
- A father and son arrested in San Francisco on state narcotics and firearms charges following the execution of state search warrants on the father’s property. The father, a Sureños gang associate and previously deported aggravated felon, accused of supplying large quantities of high-quality, commercially-grown marijuana to Sureños and Latin Kings gang members. During these arrests, HSI agents seized 4,669 marijuana plants, 25 pounds of processed marijuana, an AR-15 rifle, a stolen Glock handgun, four diesel generators, four vehicles and $85,635 in cash.
Those arrested during Project Southbound came from 21 countries in South and Central America, Asia, Africa and the Caribbean. Of the total 757 arrested, 678 were males and 79 were females.
HSI special agents also seized 54 firearms, 13.36 pounds of methamphetamine, 82.76 pounds of marijuana, 3.075 pounds of cocaine, 1.44 pounds of heroin, more than $166,000 in U.S currency and 10 vehicles during Project Southbound.
ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) in Baltimore and Los Angeles also assisted with this operation.
This enforcement operation is part of HSI’s Operation Community Shield a global initiative, in which HSI partners with existing federal, state and local anti-gang efforts to identify violent street gangs and develop intelligence on gang members and associates, gang criminal activities and international movements to arrest, prosecute, imprison and/or deport transnational gang members. HSI’s National Gang Unit deters, disrupts and dismantles gang operations by tracing and seizing cash, weapons and other assets derived from criminal activities.
Since the inception of Operation Community Shield in February 2005, HSI special agents working in conjunction with federal, state and local law enforcement agencies across the nation have arrested more than 33,000 street gang members and associates linked to more than 2,600 different gangs. At least 43 percent of those arrested had a violent criminal history. More than 438 of those arrested were gang leaders, and more than 4,500 were MS-13 gang members or associates. Through this initiative, HSI has seized more than 5,615 firearms nationally.
The National Gang Unit within HSI identifies violent street gangs and develops intelligence on their membership, associates, criminal activities and international movements to deter, disrupt and dismantle transnational criminal gang operations by tracing and seizing cash, weapons and other assets derived from illicit activities.
ICE seeks the public’s help to identify ‘John Doe’ child predator
DALLAS – U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) is seeking the public’s help to identify a suspected child pornography producer, and rescue at least one child victim.
HSI special agents investigating this case believe “John Doe,” a young adult male between 18 and 20 years old, produced child pornography in which he photographed himself engaging in sexual contact with an African American baby girl 12 to 18 months old. Today the girl may be about 2 to 2 1/2 years old.
Based on investigative clues in the photos, HSI special agents believe that this person may now live in, or had visited, north Texas at the time these photos were taken sometime in April 2013. The ball cap’s logo, “Shut Up N Play,” was new at the time, and they had not yet been released for sale. However, there had been very limited distribution within north Texas when these photos were taken.
HSI Dallas investigators were unable to identify the suspect using traditional investigative means and request the public’s assistance.
In addition to public appeals, HSI Dallas has distributed the “John Doe” information and photos to fellow law enforcement agencies, and to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, in a unified effort to find this predator and rescue the child.
If you think you recognize this person, please contact HSI toll free at 1-866-347-2423. You can also email your tip by completing HSI’s online tip form.
All tips will remain confidential. Members of the public should not attempt to apprehend the suspect personally.
This investigation was conducted under HSI’s Operation Predator, an international initiative to protect children from sexual predators. Since the launch of Operation Predator in 2003, HSI has arrested more than 10,000 individuals for crimes against children, including the production and distribution of online child pornography, traveling overseas for sex with minors, and sex trafficking of children. In fiscal year 2013, more than 2,000 individuals were arrested by HSI special agents under this initiative.
HSI encourages the public to report suspected child predators and any suspicious activity through its toll-free Tip Line at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE or by completing its online tip form. Both are staffed around the clock by investigators. Suspected child sexual exploitation or missing children may be reported to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, an Operation Predator partner, via its toll-free 24-hour hotline, 1-800-THE-LOST.
For additional information about wanted suspected child predators, download HSI’s Operation Predator smartphone app or visit the online suspect alerts page.
HSI is a founding member and current chair of the Virtual Global Taskforce, an international alliance of law enforcement agencies and private industry sector partners working together to prevent and deter online child sexual abuse.
3/20/14 UPDATE I’VE JUST HEARD FROM IMMIGRATION AND CUSTOMS ENFORCEMENT THAT THIS INDIVIDUAL HAS BEEN IDENTIFIED AND ARRESTED. THAT’S ONE LESS PREDATOR ROAMING THE STREETS !
15-Year-Old Critical Missing Girl NR14115bb
Los Angeles: The family of Ashley Aleriano and the Los Angeles Police Department’s Newton Division are asking for the public’s help to locate Ashley.
On March 12, 2014, around 7:45 a.m., Ashley was last seen leaving her residence located in the 400 block of E. 48th Street in Los Angeles. Ashley walked away from the location and has not been seen or heard from since. Her family is extremely concerned for her welfare because she made suicidal remarks.
Ashley is described as a 15-year-old female Hispanic with brown hair, brown eyes. She stands 5 feet 1 inch tall and weighs about 148 pounds. She was last seen possibly wearing a flower pattern top, blue jeans, and black shoes.
Anyone with information on Ashley’s whereabouts is asked to contact Newton Division Officers Padilla or Salazar at (323) 846-6576,; or the Newton Division Watch Commander at (323)846-6547. During non-business hours or on weekends, calls should be directed to 1-877-LAPD-24-7 (877-527-3247). Anyone wishing to remain anonymous should call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (800-222-8477). Tipsters may also contact Crime Stoppers by texting to phone number 274637 (C-R-I-M-E-S on most keypads) with a cell phone. All text messages should begin with the letters “LAPD.” Tipsters may also go to LAPDOnline.org, click on “webtips” and follow the prompts
Texas’ Largest Law Enforcement Organizations Form Powerful Alliance to Protect Working Officers and Their Families
Texas State Capitol, Austin TX (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
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Forensic and Crime Scene Investigation Consortium (FCSIC) chartered by 8 member insitutions
DALLAS – Members from eight nationally acclaimed institutions located across the nation came together in Dallas, TX, on Sept. 11 to sign the official charter for the Forensic and Crime Scene Investigation Consortium (FCSIC).
Present at the signing were representatives from the following original FCSIC member institutions:
- National Center for Biomedical Research and Training, Stephenson National Center for Security Research and Training, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, La.
- W. Roger Webb Forensic Science Institute, University of Central Oklahoma, Edmond, Okla.
- Texas Forensic Science Academy, Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service, College Station, Texas
- Southeast Texas Applied Forensic Science Facility, Criminal Justice Center, Sam Houston State University, Huntsville, Texas
- Department of Criminal Justice, Charleston Southern University, Charleston, S.C.
- Criminal Justice Department, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Las Vegas, Nev.
- Center for Criminal Justice and Forensic Sciences, Chaminade University of Honolulu, Honolulu, Hawaii
- The Center for Rural Development, Somerset, Ky.
The idea behind this collaboration was first conceived in August 2009 with the United States Department of Justice report to Congress, in which a committee was tasked to identify the needs of the forensic science community. Among the committee’s findings, highlighted in a document entitled “Strengthening Forensic Science in the United States: A Path Forward,” was a surprisingly consistent message:
In response to this message, the FCSIC was developed to help support a fully integrated national forensic and crime scene investigation system by developing and delivering new courses, enhancing current undergraduate and graduate programs and expanding research projects in their core competencies.
Consortium members were carefully selected for their broad array of competencies, extensive infrastructure and subject matter expertise, making the consortium a valuable national resource for forensic and crime scene investigation training. Current areas of focus among the FCSIC include crime scene investigations in hazardous environments, medical investigation, facial reconstruction, forensic art, digital forensics, property and evidence management, latent print technologies, crime scene documentation, courtroom testimony, underwater forensics, trace evidence, curriculum development and instructor training.
The training, education and research the FCSIC has and is developing and delivering is important and unique in the criminal justice system because state and local agencies perform the majority of all forensic and crime scene investigations conducted in the U.S., yet there is a dire need for 1) Mandatory training requirements 2) A career-spanning, standards-based training curriculum 3) A priority research environment and 4) A fully integrated forensic and crime scene investigations system in the U.S.
With already inadequate funding being cut even further, state and local agencies will now have the opportunity to train their employees at no additional cost through the courses delivered by the FCSIC. FCSIC courses are career-spanning, offering training for all three career levels: basic, intermediate and advanced.
The enhancement of current degree programs will provide a vibrant pool of degreed workforce applicants for the laboratories in addition to enhanced technologies and evaluative processes as a result of the research being conducted. With a well-trained forensic and crime scene investigations workforce, both domestic and internationally, the public will be safer, and society will be served more efficiently.
DEA INVESTIGATIONS LEAD TO TREASURY DESIGNATION OF SINALOA ASSOCIATES
The main branch and headquarters of the TDFCU is located in the Treasury Annex (pictured) in Washington, D.C. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
PHOENIX – Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Special Agent in Charge Doug Coleman announced today that the U.S. Department of the Treasury‘s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) reported the designation of three individuals and three entities linked to Ismael Zambada Garcia, one of the principal leaders of the Sinaloa Cartel. Those designated include Jose Antonio Nunez Bedoya, a Mexican attorney and notary public who helps to create front companies in order to conceal and launder assets related to Zambada Garcia, members of Zambada Garcia’s family, and other members of the Sinaloa Cartel. Nunez Bedoya incorporated Estancia Infantil Nino Feliz and Establo Puerto Rico on behalf of Zambada Garcia and he notarized real estate purchases on behalf of Santa Monica Dairy, all of which were previously designated by OFAC in May, 2007. Additionally, Nunez Bedoya notarized real estate purchases on behalf of Sinaloa Cartel leader Joaquin Guzman Loera and his wife, Griselda Lopez Perez, who OFAC designated in September, 2012.
“The Sinaloa Cartel cannot hide behind front companies like a water park or agricultural business,” said DEA Special Agent in Charge Doug Coleman. “We are working with OFAC to expose these traffickers’ front companies for what they really are—not legitimate businesses, but illegal enterprises that fuel the drug trade, its violence and corruption. As we continue to follow the money trail, we starve these traffickers of their assets and eventually put their global criminal networks out of business.”
The cash-intensive businesses designated by OFAC today were Parque Acuatico Los Cascabeles, a Sinaloa-based water park, Centro Comercial y Habitacional Lomas, a shopping mall in Culiacan, and Rancho Agricola Ganadero Los Mezquites, a cattle ranch in Sinaloa. Nunez Bedoya incorporated and notarized all three businesses on behalf of Zambada Garcia.
Also designated today were Tomasa Garcia Rios and Monica Janeth Verdugo Garcia, wife and daughter of deceased narcotics trafficker Jose Lamberto Verdugo Calderon. Verdugo Calderon, who was killed by the Mexican military in January 2009, was widely identified by U.S. and Mexican authorities as a major financial operative and lieutenant for Zambada Garcia. Tomasa Garcia Rios and Monica Janeth Verdugo Garcia own Rancho Agricola Ganadero Los Mezquites and Parque Acuatico Los Cascabeles.
“Treasury will continue to target and disrupt financial operations linked to the Sinaloa Cartel by taking action against any facilitators, legal or financial professionals, or businesses that are laundering their narcotics proceeds,” said OFAC Director Adam J. Szubin.
Today’s action, pursuant to the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act (Kingpin Act), generally prohibits U.S. persons from conducting financial or commercial transactions with these designees and also freezes any assets they may have under U.S. jurisdiction. The President named Ismael Zambada Garcia and the Sinaloa Cartel as significant foreign narcotics traffickers pursuant to the Kingpin Act in May, 2002 and April, 2009, respectively.
Internationally, OFAC has designated more than 1,300 businesses and individuals linked to 103 drug kingpins since June 2000. Penalties for violations of the Kingpin Act range from civil penalties of up to $1.075 million per violation to more severe criminal penalties. Criminal penalties for corporate officers may include up to 30 years in prison and fines up to $5 million. Criminal fines for corporations may reach $10 million. Other individuals could face up to 10 years in prison and fines pursuant to Title 18 of the United States Code for criminal violations of the Kingpin Act.
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Havis Announces the Los Angeles Police Department’s Future Ford Police Interceptors
The Los Angeles Police Department will unveil new integrated screen system in the Havis Booth at Police Fleet Expo.
Warminster, Pa. (PRWEB) July 29, 2013
The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) is bringing their vision of the future police vehicle to Charlotte, N.C. for Hendon Publishing’s Police Fleet Expo. From Aug. 19-22, show attendees will get to see an all new, in-dash mounted screen in Ford’s Police Interceptor Sedan and Police Interceptor Utility.
The LAPD has envisioned the system as the next step forward in police vehicle interiors. The modern police vehicle is becoming loaded with technology and equipment that, in turn, puts a premium on in-vehicle space. Departments across the country are consistently working to create the best ways to mount their necessary equipment in a safe manner in the dash, center console, passenger side, and trunk of their next generation Ford Police Interceptors.
The LAPD’s design will put an emphasis on police officer comfort and ergonomics, saving space, and technology integration. New police car infrastructures demand the safe mounting and easy use of multiple radio connections, multiple video inputs, relocated HVAC and factory controls, radar detection, license plate recognition systems, laptop computers, printers, and other equipment.
The Los Angeles Police Department has worked with Ford Motor Company, Havis Inc., National Safety Agency and Lectronix to co-develop a solution that will give police officers an integrated screen with controls to all of these pieces of critical equipment.
Ford’s cooperative engineering and design efforts have led Havis to create a dash molding that precisely and securely wraps a Lectronix monitor. Shared engineering CAD data has allowed Havis to use factory OEM mounting points for the screen’s location and all required fasteners. Finally, Lectronix’ use of custom software will provide the technology to create the integrated functionality that the LAPD requires for its police force.
At the Police Fleet Expo in Charlotte, N.C., show attendees will be able to see a prototype of the new system in a Ford Police Interceptor Utility in the Havis Inc. booth (#94) and a Ford Police Interceptor Sedan in the Crown North America booth (#326). Located at the Charlotte Convention Center, the Police Fleet Expo has a full agenda for Aug. 19-22. Exhibit hours include Aug. 21 from 1:30-5:30 p.m. and Aug. 22 from 9:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m.
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Havis Inc. is a privately held, ISO 9001:2008 certified company that manufactures in-vehicle mobile office solutions for public safety, public works, government agencies and mobile professionals. For over 80 years, the Havis mission has been to increase mobile worker productivity with industry-leading products that are built to the highest safety and quality standards and are designed with comfort in mind. Headquartered in Warminster, Pa., with an additional location in Plymouth, Mich., Havis currently employs 200 people. For more information on Havis, please call 1-800-524-9900 or visit http://www.havis.com.
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51 Law Enforcement Officer Fatalities Nationwide in First Half of 2013
English: The lioness statue at the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, DC (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Washington, DC — Today the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund, in conjunction with Concerns of Police Survivors (C.O.P.S.), issued a new report stating that 51 officers have been killed in the line of duty during the first half of 2013—a nine percent increase since last year.
Of these 51 officers, 18 were killed in traffic-related incidents; 17 were killed in firearms-related incidents; and 16 died due to job-related illnesses and other causes.
Key Facts:
- Traffic-related incidents were once again the leading cause of officer fatalities, with 18 officers killed in the first half of 2013—a 34-year low.
- Firearms-related incidents were the second leading cause of officer deaths, with 17 fatalities. Ambush attacks were the leading circumstance of fatal shootings, with seven officer fatalities.
- After increasing dramatically in 2010 and 2011, firearms-related fatalities decreased for the second year in a row, hitting a 57-year low.
- Sixteen officers died due to other causes in the first half of 2013, compared to 10 in 2012. Job-related illnesses, such as heart attacks, increased in the first half of 2013, with 10 officer fatalities.
- California led all states with seven officer fatalities; followed by Arkansas with six; Louisiana and Texas with three each; and Arizona, Florida, Mississippi, New York and Virginia with two each.
Supporting Quotes:
“Though our ultimate goal is zero deaths,” said Memorial Fund Chairman & CEO Craig W. Floyd, “it is encouraging to see preliminary data in line with 2012, which had the lowest number of officer deaths in 52 years,” he said. “We are changing the way people think about law enforcement safety. No longer should any officer’s death or injury be accepted as ‘just part of the job.’”
A copy of the full research bulletin, “Law Enforcement Officer Deaths: Mid-Year 2013 Report,” is available at www.LawMemorial.org/ResearchBulletin.
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The National First Responder Prayer Team wishes to extend its thoughts and prayers to the families and departments of all the lost officers. May they all rest in peace !
WALGREENS AGREES TO PAY A RECORD SETTLEMENT OF $80 MILLION FOR CIVIL PENALTIES UNDER THE CONTROLLED SUBSTANCES ACT
FED – Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent Badge Patch (Photo credit: Inventorchris)
JUN 11 – (MIAMI) – Today DEA Miami Field Division Special Agent in Charge Mark R. Trouville and the United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida announced that Walgreens Corporation (Walgreens), the nation’s largest drug store chain, has agreed to pay $80 million in civil penalties, resolving the DEA’s administrative actions and the United States Attorney’s Office’s civil penalty investigation regarding the Walgreens Jupiter Distribution Center and six Walgreens retail pharmacies (collectively “Registrants”) in Florida. The settlement further resolves similar open civil investigations in the District of Colorado, Eastern District of Michigan, and Eastern District of New York, as well as civil investigations by DEA field offices nationwide, pursuant to the Controlled Substances Act (the Act).
The settlement, the largest in DEA history, resolves allegations that the Registrants committed an unprecedented number of record-keeping and dispensing violations under the Act. According to documents filed in the underlying administrative actions, the Registrants negligently allowed controlled substances listed in Schedules II – V of the Act, such as oxycodone and other prescription pain killers, to be diverted for abuse and illegal black market sales.
According to the most recent report from the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention, prescription drug overdose deaths exceeded motor vehicle deaths and deaths from illegal street drugs, such as cocaine, heroin, and amphetamines, in 2009. Oxycodone is a powerful addictive narcotic that is one of the most abused prescription medications in Florida and throughout the United States. Walgreens’ Distribution Center in Jupiter, Florida was the largest supplier of oxycodone to retail pharmacies in the State of Florida.
Special Agent in Charge Mark R. Trouville stated, “National pharmaceutical chains are not exempt from following the law. This settlement sends out a clear message that all DEA registrants will be held accountable when they violate the law and threaten public health and safety. The DEA will continue its efforts to work with our registrants and our law enforcement partners to combat pharmaceutical drug abuse and diversion in Florida.”
U.S. Attorney Wifredo A. Ferrer stated, “Prescription drug abuse is a tremendous problem in Florida and throughout the country. Every day, individuals die from prescription drug overdoses. The record-keeping requirements of the Controlled Substances Act and DEA regulations are designed to prevent prescription pain killers, like oxycodone, from ending up on our streets. For this reason, we cannot allow pharmacies to circumvent their regulatory record-keeping and dispensing obligations.”
The settlement agreement covers conduct that was the subject of DEA’s administrative actions and the U.S. Attorney’s Office civil penalty investigation. More specifically, the settlement covers allegations against Walgreen’s Jupiter Distribution Center and six Walgreens’ retail pharmacies. First, the Jupiter Distribution Center failed to comply with DEA regulations that required it to report to the DEA suspicious prescription drug orders that it received from Walgreens’ retail pharmacies. Walgreens’ alleged failure to sufficiently report suspicious orders was a systematic practice that resulted in at least tens of thousands of violations and allowed Walgreens’ retail pharmacies to order and receive at least three times the Florida average for drugs such as oxycodone.
Second, the six retail pharmacies in Florida that received the suspicious drug shipments from the Jupiter Distribution Center, in turn, filled customer prescriptions that they knew or should have known were not for legitimate medical use. In addition, these retail pharmacies and others elsewhere in the United States failed to properly identify and mark, as required by DEA regulations, hardcopy controlled substance prescriptions that were outsourced to a “central fill” pharmacy for filling. Without Walgreens’ retail pharmacies identifying these outsourced prescriptions, DEA could not accurately determine which prescriptions were filled from the retail pharmacies’ own drug supplies and which prescriptions were filled by a “central fill.” Consequently, DEA could not determine the accuracy of the retail pharmacies’ drug records. The DEA’s administrative actions demonstrated millions of violations of this type.
In addition to the $80 million civil penalty for the above violations, the settlement revokes the Registrants’ ability to distribute or dispense controlled substances listed in Schedules II – V for two years, ending in 2014. As part of the settlement, Walgreens admitted that it failed to uphold its obligations as a DEA registrant regarding the above-described conduct. Furthermore, Walgreens has agreed to create a Department of Pharmaceutical Integrity to ensure regulatory compliance and prevent the diversion of controlled substances. Walgreens has also agreed to enhance its training and compliance programs, and to no longer monetarily or otherwise compensate its pharmacists based on the volume of prescriptions filled.
Since 2009, the DEA, along with its federal, state, and local counterparts, have partnered to combat the prescription drug abuse epidemic that has plagued Florida, culminating in Operation Pill Nation I and II and Operation Oxy Alley. These investigations have resulted in charges against more than 172 individuals, including 51 doctors and 24 clinic/pharmacy owners, the seizure of approximately 2.5 million dosage units of controlled substances, approximately $16.6 million, real property, and exotic cars. In addition, approximately 42 doctors and 11 pharmacies have lost their DEA registrations through the issuance of Immediate Suspension Orders. As well, approximately 192 doctors and 68 pharmacies have voluntarily surrendered their DEA registrations following an official visit from the DEA. Lastly, the DEA has also taken action against seven other Florida-based distributors.
This investigation was conducted by the DEA’s Miami Field Office and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida, with the assistance of DEA’s Office of Chief Counsel.
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