Contact Appalachian RDEO. In addition to assistance provided by the FBI, DEA, and HHS-OIG, these cases were brought in connection with assistance from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, Medicaid Fraud Control Unit; the 18th Judicial District Drug Task Force; the Sumner County District Attorneys Office; and the District Attorney General for the 22nd Judicial District. A practitioner who is unable to comply with the Tennessee: If you are seeking help in Tennessee: West Virginia: If you are in West Virginia and are suffering with addiction you can find help by calling 1-844-HELP-4WV or logging in at https://HelpandHopeWV.org, For individuals seeking help in other states, please call 1-800-662-HELP. Welcome to AHIDTA | AHIDTA Agents seize $7.8 million worth of liquid meth in drug bust operation Agents with the Appalachian Regional Drug Enforcement Office said they recovered 255 gallons of liquid methamphetamine solution and 5 kilograms of finished crystal meth. 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. Buford man shot during robbery, police searching for suspects, Forsyth County dog park to unveil statue honoring military canines, Hall County Commission approves self-storage, medical office on Thompson Bridge Road, MITRE determines Georgias elections are secure, $90,000 worth of illegal drugs found in Hall, Jackson County drug busts, Gwinnett County Police search for missing Dacula man, Burt Jones wins Republican nomination in lieutenant governor's race, Various Memorial Day events planned for North Georgia, Two Gainesville men arrested for drug trafficking, Arrest made in the death of a Gainesville homeless man. This case was brought in connection with assistance from the DEA and HHS-OIG. The investigation is ongoing. In the Middle District of Tennessee, federal indictments were unsealed today charging nine Middle Tennessee medical professionals, including four doctors, four nurse practitioners and a pharmacist, with various charges alleging their participation in illegally prescribing and dispensing opioids and other dangerous narcotics and health care fraud schemes. In July 2022, an investigation began into the alleged drug sales being conducted out of the residence. Special Agent in Charge Fred Wimberly Local, state, and federal government websites often end in .gov. In addition to assistance provided by the FBI, DEA, and HHS-OIG, these cases were brought in connection with assistance from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, the Tennessee Office of Inspector General, and the West Tennessee Drug Task Force (28th District). 35 year old Dustin Kellum of Lavonia . Regional Investigative Offices. In one case, the owners and operators of a medical clinic and dispensary were charged with the unlawful distribution of controlled substances and health care fraud. Read The Northeast Georgian, Cornelia, Georgia, Mailing Address: ARPO is a joint law enforcement effort that brings together the resources and expertise of the Health Care Fraud Unit in the Criminal Divisions Fraud Section (HCF Unit), the U.S. Attorneys Offices for ten federal districts in six states, as well as law enforcement partners at the FBI, HHS Office of the Inspector General (HHS-OIG) and U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). In yet another case, a doctor was charged for allegedly prescribing opioids to Facebook friends who would come to his home to pick up prescriptions, and for signing prescriptions for other persons based on messenger requests to his office manager, who then allegedly delivered the signed prescriptions in exchange for cash. Guns and money were seized along with $8,000 worth of meth and heroin in a bust Friday by the Appalachian Regional Drug Enforcement Office. 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. Before sharing sensitive or personal information, make sure youre on an official state website. It is also vital that Americans struggling with addiction have access to treatment and that patients who need pain treatment do not see their care disrupted, which is why federal and local public health authorities have coordinated to ensure these needs are met in the wake of this enforcement operation. Information about substance abuse and opioids is available at the following websites: http://www.alabamapublichealth.gov/pharmacy/opioid-and-heroin.html, https://mh.alabama.gov/understanding-the-opioid-crisis/, Kentucky: If you are in Kentucky and are suffering with addiction you can find help by calling 833-8KY-HELP or logging in at Findhelpnowky.org, Ohio: If you are seeking help in Ohio, please call the OhioMHAS patient helpline, at 1-877-275-6364. Investigative Offices & Services. These cases were brought with assistance from the FBI, DEA, HHS-OIG, and the Kentucky Medicaid Fraud Control Unit. Agents with the Appalachian Regional Drug Enforcement Office arrested a Gainesville man on October26 who is accused of trafficking and selling drugs. Several law enforcement agencies arrested 15 suspects accused of participating in a North Georgia meth trafficking ring that circulated $3.5 million worth of drugs in the past five . How you know. Drug task force arrests Clarkesville man for trafficking meth near Special Agent in ChargeTrent Hillsman A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. An official website of the United States government. No front page content has been created yet. How you know. Appalachian RDEO; Southeastern RDEO; Southwestern RDEO; West Metro RDEO; Specialized Units. 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. Joseph M. Campbell, Task Force Commander. After a several month-long drug trafficking investigation conducted by the Banks County Sheriffs Office, Habersham County Sheriffs 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. The approximate street value of the drugs is $8,000. The Medicare Fraud Strike Force, including the ARPO Strike Force, has charged more than 200 individuals with opioid-related crimes. 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 . Meriwether, Muscogee, Pike, Spalding, The FBI will pursue medical personnel who misuse their positions of trust to blatantly disregard others very lives for their own financial gain., The opioid crisis has had a devastating impact in the Appalachian region, said Principal Deputy Inspector General Chiedi. Four doctors, a nurse practitioner and a physicians assistant were charged with the unlawful distribution of opioids. Investigators said they also recovered a car that cost over $10,000. In addition to assistance provided by the FBI, DEA, HHS-OIG, the Defense Criminal Investigative Service and the Food and Drug Administration, Office of Criminal Investigations, these cases were brought in connection with assistance from the Hoover Police Department, the Huntsville Police Department, the Huntsville Area HIDTA Drug Task Force Strategic Counter Drug Team, the Marshall County Drug Task Force, the Alabama Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, and the Madison County Sheriffs Office. If you, a family member, friend or loved one believe you may be a victim in any of these cases or in connection with any charged defendant, please visit the following website for additional information: https://www.justice.gov/criminal-vns/case/ARPO. Christopher E. Hosey, GBI Assistant Director, Cynthia Adkins, Deputy Director of Investigations, Child Exploitation And Computer Crimes Unit, GA Law Enforcement Criminal Intelligence Analysis Certification Program. as well as law enforcement partners at the FBI, HHS Office of the Inspector General (HHS-OIG) and U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). For help accessing substance abuse or mental health services call the Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services Helpline: 800-560-5767 or 615-532-6700. Copyright 2022 WGCL Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. All rights reserved. The following arrests were made at the residence: For additional information about Appalachian RDEO or to provide tips on criminal activity look for [emailprotected] on twitter or follow on [emailprotected] and/or Instagram. Two cases involve doctors who were previously sanctioned by the Tennessee Medical Board in connection with the overprescribing of opioids, one of whom was sanctioned for providing prescriptions to vulnerable patients, while the other allegedly prescribed opioid pills after serving a Board imposed term of probation. The Appalachian Regional Drug Enforcement Office is a multi-jurisdictional unit which includes the following sheriff's offices: White County, Lumpkin County, Towns County, Banks County, Jackson . Addressing this public health issue and ensuring beneficiaries have continuity of care requires a collaborative approach with our federal, state, and local partners. Two doctors were charged with health care fraud violations. In addition, the operation . According to a press release from the Appalachian Regional Drug Enforcement Office, officers with several nearby agencies executed search warrants at the following homes:4605 Blue Iris Way, Oakwood; 178 Gold Creek Dr, Jefferson; 939 West Ridge Road, Gainesville; and 714 Orchard Brook Dr, Gainesville. Several arrests were made across North Georgia as the culmination of an 18-month investigation conducted by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation's Appalachian Regional Drug Enforcement Office, the White County Sheriff's Office, the Lumpkin County Sheriff's Office and the Hall County Sheriff's Office. Call 1-800-GEORGIA to verify that a website is an official website of the State of Georgia. We will continue working together to protect the health and well-being of all Americans and ending this terrible epidemic., Opioid misuse and abuse is an insidious epidemic, created in large part, by the over-prescribing of potent opioids nationwide, and unfortunately, Appalachiais at the center,said DEA Assistant Administrator Martin. 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.