Peeling Back the Layers of the Neighborhood Drug Trade Onion

In early 2006, our local corner store was busted as a cover for a major drug ring. Today's Iquirer features this article about how our neighborhood medical clinic was dealing popular prescriptions on the side for cash.

"This was a very wide-ranging, high-volume operation," Assistant U.S. Attorney Mary E. Crawley said. "It was notorious in the neighborhood. The problem was so rampant that people used to line up on the street and wait for the doctors' office to open."

...According to government filings, the doctors operated their "pill mill" from 2001 to 2005, selling prescriptions for addictive painkillers and sedatives for $50 to $100 cash to people they knew were using fake names and fraudulently using heath-care benefits, including Medicaid cards. The scheme generated at least $1 million, according to a government filing.

For every bad thing, say two good things. Read on!