Published: October 30, 2009 08:51 am      

Hundreds arrested in prescription crackdown

Times-Tribune Staff Report

Dealers illegally selling prescription drugs were rounded up in 33 Kentucky counties Wednesday.

Nearby counties involved were Clay, McCreary, Pulaski and Rockcastle.

The event, planned over three years, was called Operation Flamingo Road and involved Kentucky State Police, federal officers, local police and sheriff’s deputies focusing on those acquiring prescription drugs in Florida and bringing them back to Kentucky to illegally sell.

The roundup began to develop early in the week as law enforcement groups began getting warrants for the arrest of dealers.

A total of 518 arrest warrants were issued, 327 sworn to by KSP detectives.

The event saw officers making arrests in homes across the counties which also included Bath, Boyd, Boyle, Breathitt, Carter, Clark, Estill, Fayette, Fleming, Floyd, Greenup, Harlan, Harrison, Johnson, Knott, Leslie, Letcher, Lincoln, Madison, Martin, Magoffin, Menifee, Morgan, Owsley, Perry, Pike, Powell, Rowan and Wolfe.

Suspecting the painkillers involved in drug cases were being brought from Florida by Kentuckians, informants and other means of information were implemented in Florida to learn that a large number of patients showing up in south Florida pain clinics were from Kentucky.

Most in the roundup were charged with first- and second-degree trafficking in controlled substances.

Penalties in those cases range from 18 months to 20 years in prison, if convicted.

“We have heard the voices of the citizens of Kentucky to do something about this dangerous drug problem. Your calls, valuable tips and input have not fallen on deaf ears,” said Rodney Brewer, KSP Commissioner.

In 2008, the Kentucky Medical Examiner’s Office reported the state as leading the country in use of prescription drugs for non-medical purposes. Early figures from the state vital statistics office said 877 deaths in the state were the result of prescription drug overdoses.

The state administrative office of the courts reported that prescription drug related cases increased 22 percent between 2003 and 2007, reaching a five-year high of 7,136 cases in 2007.

Those who wish to report illegal drug activity should call 1-800-DOPE TIP.