Last week, we posted a blog that highlighted two instances of justice that were found in America’s ongoing opioid crisis. They came in the form of an arrest and a sentencing. While many arrests continue to be made that lead to convictions of those who are worsening our nation’s epidemic, make no mistake that it rages on. As Dr. Brendan Saloner reports for JAMA Network this week, there is profound pessimism about the U.S. addiction and overdose crisis.
“Overdose deaths, which were already surging before the COVID-19 pandemic, have reached new and alarming heights, claiming more than 100 000 lives in the 12 months before September 2023,” he writes, “The overdose crisis is substantially driven by the proliferation of illicitly manufactured fentanyl in the street drug supply, increasingly in combination with cocaine and methamphetamine.”
Long Island man gets 8 years in prison in case involving opioids.
This week, the Eastern District of New York branch of the U.S. Attorney’s Office reports that a Hempstead, New York resident has received an 8-year prison term for his role in exacerbating the opioid crisis in America. 38 year-old, Trevo Lawry was convicted for a prescription drug conversion scheme. The report reveals that he orchestrated a conspiracy to divert Oxycodone and other prescription medications from a Hempstead pharmacy into the illicit market.
According to court filings, between February 2018 and March 2020, Lawry headed a drug trafficking organization that used forged paper prescription forms. They were sourced from stolen prescription pads. His objective was to obtain large quantities of several controlled substances that are commonly diverted for recreational use. The drugs included Oxycodone, Adderall, Alprazolam (or “Xanax”) and Promethazine with Codeine syrup.
Over 500 fraudulent prescriptions were filled.
“During the relevant time period, more than 500 fraudulent prescriptions for these medications were filled at D.R.A. Pharmakon, Inc. d/b/a D’s Pharmacy (D’s Pharmacy) in Hempstead, where one of Lawry’s co-conspirators worked as a pharmacist,” the report details, “In total, the conspiracy involved nearly a kilogram’s worth of stolen prescription medication, which Lawry and his co-conspirators then advertised for sale on social media and eventually sold at street level. “
Breon Peace is the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York. He had the following to say about the case: “While communities across the country reeled from an opioid epidemic, this defendant operated an elaborate scheme that illegally diverted huge quantities of prescription medications into the hands of drug users, including people struggling with addiction. This Office will continue doing its part to find and hold responsible individuals at all levels of the illegal supply chain who contribute to the scourge of opioids in this District.”
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