Related Federal Cases
‘Pill Mill’ Doc Arrested, 5 Others Charged
LOS ANGELES – Authorities arrested Madhu Garg, a doctor accused of running a ‘pill mill’ that sold unnecessary prescriptions for cash, and five others linked to the operation that distributed narcotics in Texas.
The arrest comes after a federal grand jury issued a 33-count indictment last week, charging the defendants with conspiring to distribute narcotics, including oxycodone, hydrocodone, alprazolam, carisoprodol, and promethazine with codeine.
Garg, who worked at the now-closed Southfork Medical Clinic, allegedly issued over 10,000 prescriptions – mostly for hydrocodone or alprazolam – over a 15-month period, with nearly 80 percent of those prescriptions being at the maximum dosage, according to records maintained by the State of California.
The investigation, which spanned multiple states, resulted in the seizure of multiple drug loads, including a January 2013 seizure of nearly 10,000 pills from the residence of ringleader Jagehauel Gillespie, and a July 2010 seizure of 48 bottles of promethazine with codeine from a car being driven across Texas by Gillespie and another defendant.
“Los Angeles is a major source of the deadly and addictive prescription drugs that are diverted to street sales across the Western United States,” said Acting United States Attorney Stephanie Yonekura. “This case in the latest in a series of prosecutions clearly demonstrating that law enforcement is committed to stemming the tide of drugs being diverted to the black market, as well as putting an end to medical professionals who abuse their prescription pads and their ethical obligations.”
The indictment describes multiple undercover operations conducted during the investigation, including an October 2013 meeting at Southfork, where Gillespie agreed that Garg would prescribe oxycodone and promethazine with codeine for an undercover cooperator in exchange for the person returning to the clinic with bottles of the prescribed cough syrup.
The arrests demonstrate law enforcement’s continuing intolerance for those who are simply drug traffickers operating behind the thinly veiled guise of a medical practice, said Anthony D. Williams, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA’s Los Angeles Field Division.
Seven defendants are charged, with two still being sought by authorities. If convicted, they face a statutory maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.
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Key Facts
- State: California
- Category: Drug Trafficking
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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