Published: September 17, 2009 08:54 pm      

Law enforcement targets out-of-state prescriptions

TAZEWELL, Va. — Addicts and drug dealers using out-of-state painkiller prescriptions to fuel their trade were an issue addressed Thursday when a new round of drug indictments and arrests were released by the region’s law enforcement community.

The names of 14 people facing drug-related charges ranging from the distribution of controlled substances, prescription fraud, and the distribution of marijuana were released during a press conference at the Town of Tazewell Municipal Building. The list was the cumulation of 12 months of collaborative investigative work, said Commonwealth’s Attorney Dennis Lee.

“The individuals have been arraigned at this time and trial dates have been set,” Lee said.

Many of the narcotics entering Tazewell County and the surrounding region are coming for prescriptions written by physicians in other states, Lee said. Besides substances such as cocaine and marijuana, investigators are seeing drugs such as hydrocodone, oxycodone, Alprazolam and other medications.

“One thing I want to state is that we are seeing an influx of narcotics coming into southwest Virginia as well as southern West Virginia and Kentucky,” Lee said.

Addicts will get prescriptions for narcotics from physicians in Florida, Georgia, Maryland and other states, then bring them home and try to get them filled. Police are asking area pharmacies to be vigilant about painkiller prescriptions written by out-of-state doctors.

The quantity of pills being prescribed is often “enough to kill a horse,” Lee said.

Local police are mostly seeing oxycodone and hydrocodone in their drug casework, said Chief William Puckett of the Richlands Police Department.

And the potential for big profits help drive the trade. In some cases, a single 80 milligram tablet of oxycodone can sell for $120 on the street, said Tazewell County Sheriff H.S. Caudill.

One aspect that makes illicit prescriptions profitable is the fact that dealers often don’t use their own money to buy the drugs, said Sgt. Michael Conroy of the Virginia State Police. They use insurance and government programs like Medicaid; the cost is passed on to consumers.

“The public is getting hit twice,” Conroy said.

To help curb abuse of out-of-state prescriptions, law enforcement agencies are advocating a national prescription database, Lee said. Virginia has a database along with Kentucky, and West Virginia has one to “a limited degree.” Each state with a database have a different system for distributing information: some require subpoenas or court orders.

Much of the blame for the region’s drug traffic goes to out-of-state physicians who write the prescriptions, Lee said.

“Some of them are absolutely pill-pushing criminals,” he said.

The constant stream of abused painkiller medications lead to deaths, Conroy added.

“It has a real impact. Southwest Virginia has an extremely high overdose rate. They (addicts) defeat the time released medications to get an instant high, overloading the body and resulting in a tragic death,” he said.

Agencies including the Tazewell County Narcotics Task Force; Tazewell County Sheriff’s Office, Richlands Police Department, Tazewell Police Department, Bluefield Police Department, Virginia State Police Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, and the Mercer County Drug Task Force worked on the collaborative investigation.

The following indictments were released Thursday:

Charlotte F. Culbertson, 64, of Richlands, Va., three counts of distribution of Alprazolam, a Schedule IV controlled substance; and distribution of Tramadol, a Schedule VI controlled substance.

Kathy Allen Culbertson, 40, of Richlands, Va., three counts of distribution of Alprazolam, a Schedule IV controlled substance.

Antonio Daeshawn Easley aka Tony Easley, 32, of Richlands, Va., three counts of conspiracy to sell or distribute marijuana; and three counts sale or distribution of marijuana.

Cristie Shatin Lowe Easley, 32, Richlands, Va., three counts of conspiracy to sell or distribute marijuana; three counts sale or distribution of marijuana; criminal solicitation; and attempted distribution of cocaine.

J.C. Gross, 52, of Richlands, Va., distribution of hydrocodone, a Schedule III controlled substance.

James Brian Hagerman, 39, of Bishop, Va., attempted distribution of Alprazolam, a Schedule IV controlled substance.

Robert Elgan Hayes, 58, of Tazewell, Va., manufacture of marijuana.

Danny Wade Hicks, 37, of Taylorsville, NC, conspiracy to sell or distribute hydrocodone, a Schedule III controlled substance; distribution of hydrocodone.

Whittany Leetta Hill, aka Whittany Leetta Dowdy, 21, of Cedar Bluff, Va., conspiracy to sell or distribute oxycodone, a Schedule II controlled substance; distribution of oxycodone.

Timothy Ray Lester, 32, of Big Rock, Va., four counts of prescription fraud.

Bridget Denise Looney aka Bridget Denise Herndon, 44, of Cedar Bluff, Va., possession with intent to distribute oxycodone; conspiracy to sell or distribute oxycodone; and and three counts of distribution of oxycodone.

Freddie Lane Maggard, 51, of Richlands, Va., statutory burglary; prescription forgery, uttering a forged prescription; and prescription fraud.

Derrick Wayne Rathell, 24, of North Tazewell, Va., three counts sale or distribution of marijuana; and possession with intent to distribute marijuana.

Brian Keith Stuart, 40, of Bluefield, 14 counts of prescription fraud.

— Contact Greg Jordan at gjordan@bdtonline.com