Eduardo Rios, Opioid Prescription Trafficking, California 2024

A San Fernando Valley man who operated corrupt medical clinics has been sentenced to 18 years in federal prison for participating in a drug trafficking ring that sold thousands of illegal opioid prescriptions for cash.

U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Western District of Arkansas announced that Eduardo Rios, 47, of San Fernando Valley, California, was sentenced on January 25, 2024, to 216 months in federal prison for his role in a conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute oxycodone and hydrocodone.

Rios was the owner and operator of several medical clinics in the San Fernando Valley area of Los Angeles County, where he and his co-conspirators would sell illegal opioid prescriptions to patients in exchange for cash payments.

According to court documents, the conspiracy involved the distribution of thousands of opioid prescriptions, resulting in a significant amount of cash being generated.

Rios was arrested on July 12, 2022, and charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute oxycodone and hydrocodone, and one count of money laundering.

Rios’ sentencing is the result of a years-long investigation led by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, which uncovered a complex network of corrupt medical clinics and individuals involved in the distribution of illegal opioids.

The investigation revealed that Rios and his co-conspirators would often use fake medical records, fake patient identities, and other fraudulent means to obtain and distribute the opioid prescriptions.

Rios will begin serving his sentence immediately, and he will be required to pay a $1,000 fine and $200 in special assessments as part of his sentencing.

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