Wendell Mark Street, a 66-year-old Las Vegas doctor, was arrested this morning in a federal crackdown on a high desert prescription racket that turned a Victorville clinic into a cash-fueled pill mill. DEA agents took him into custody without incident at his Nevada residence following a sealed 10-count indictment tied to the illegal sale of powerful narcotics.
The charges allege Street handed out oxycodone and alprazolam — commonly known as Xanax — like party favors, issuing scripts for $200 to $300 in cash per visit. No physical exams. No medical history. Just cold, hard bills passed across the desk in exchange for addictive controlled substances. The transactions occurred in 2013, with undercover investigators from the California Medical Board and a confidential informant walking out with prescriptions after brief, sham consultations.
Federal prosecutors say Street operated far outside the bounds of medical ethics, acting ‘without a legitimate medical purpose’ and outside the usual course of professional practice. The February 9 indictment accuses him of five counts of illegally distributing oxycodone — each carrying up to 20 years in prison — and five counts for distributing alprazolam, each punishable by up to five years behind bars.
Investigators moved in years ago, executing a search warrant at Street’s Victorville office in 2014. The scrutiny took its toll: in 2016, Street surrendered his California medical license, effectively ending his ability to practice in the state. But the federal hammer waited, held back until today’s arrest brought long-delayed accountability.
Street is set to appear this afternoon in U.S. District Court in Las Vegas, where he’ll face the charges head-on. Assistant U.S. Attorney Victoria A. Degtyareva of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force is leading the prosecution, signaling federal intent to treat this not as a rogue doctor case, but as part of a broader drug distribution network.
An indictment is not a conviction. Wendell Mark Street is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. But the evidence — cash payments, undercover buys, and the surrender of his medical license — paints a damning picture of a physician who allegedly traded his white coat for a role in the underground narcotic economy.
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Key Facts
- State: California
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking
- Source: Official Source ↗
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