California Revokes Burbank Pharmacy’s License for Selling Drugs to Patients Who Died

A pharmacy in Burbank that dispensed painkillers and other narcotics to five young patients who died of overdose has had its license revoked.  The state pharmacy board found that the pharmacy employees had failed to properly investigate prescriptions that contributed to the people’s deaths.

The pharmacy, Jay Scott Drugs catered to patients of Dr. Bernard Bass and Dr. Massoud Bamdad, both of who were later convicted of crimes in connection with their prescribing habits.

By law, pharmacists are required to examine prescriptions, scrutinize customers and refuse to fill any prescriptions, if they suspect a person does not have a legitimate medical need for the drug.

Many of Dr. Bass’s patients were in their 20’s and traveled more than 40 miles from their homes in Ventura County to visit the doctor in North Hollywood and then would go another five miles to Jay Scott Drugs where they usually paid cash for a combination of medications favored by drug addicts.  Though Dr. Bamdad was a general practitioner, more than half of all the prescriptions his patients filled were for painkillers or other common drugs of abuse, according to the California Boardof Pharmacy.

The board faulted lead pharmacist Albert Daher and two of his colleagues with unquestioningly filling prescriptions, in spite of many red flags which should have raised suspicion.  The board’s decision noted the pharmacy received large financial profits from the filling of Bass’ prescriptions.

During an interview in his store, Albert Daher said he felt he had been unfairly targeted by the Pharmacy Board and resented the notion he was in it for profit and cared nothing for his patients. Four of Bass’ patients between the ages of 21 and 31 years old died of overdose within the span of a month in 2008, after receiving prescriptions filled from Jay Scott Drugs.  A fifth patient overdosed at the age of 23, after filling a prescription from Bamdad, according to information in board documents.

The board found the pharmacy at fault for feeding the addictions of four other patients who later died with the same kinds of drugs that were filled at Jay Scott Drugs.  Even if there was not sufficient evidence to prove the lethal pills were the same ones obtained at Jay Scott Drugs, the board’s decision stated the pharmacy had been routinely filling prescriptions and feeding people’s drug addiction.

The Pharmacy Board took it a step further and rejected a proposed decision of a judge, who presided over the 16-day hearing.  The judge found Bass, not Bamdad, had an obvious prescribing pattern and patient’s profiles which should have drawn the attention of Daher and other colleagues.

How Might the Affordable Care Act Revolutionize Addiction Treatment?

The Affordable Care Act came into effect January 1^st, 2014 and it requires that no insurance company may refuse to cover someone for a preexisting condition and now insurance coverage is attainable for people of lower income levels.  Obamacare’s treatment of drug addiction and alcoholism as chronic diseases that must be covered by insurance plans could help as many as 40 million U.S. citizens enter treatment, according to information from the California Health Report.

Recent government statistical data shows that around 24 million aged 12 years and older are in need of treatment for a substance abuse issue, but only 11% of them will receive it at a professional drug and alcohol treatment program.  The national average cost for entering a substance abuse treatment program is around $4,000 for admission and outpatient programs run an average of $1,500 for a course of treatment.

The passage of Obamacare could help eliminate the cost barriers for people who may not have otherwise been able to financially afford to seek drug and alcohol treatment.  Dr. Thomas McLellan, former deputy director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy said in an interview with the California Health Report, “I don’t think there’s another illness that will be more affected by the Affordable Care Act.”

Drug addiction, alcoholism and substance abuse have not always been considered as chronic illnesses.  However, since opiate abuse is on the rise in America, alcoholism and other addiction issues cost the country about $120 billion per year in health care spending, the new law places the emphasis on both treatment and prevention.  The Affordable Care Act forces insurers to cover the cost of rehab and encourages medical professionals to screen patients for possible drug or alcohol addictions.

Screening someone for a potential substance abuse or addiction issue can also prevent other chronic diseases from forming or becoming worse, especially since many people with these issues do not seek health care services because of the associated stigma and exorbitant costs.  The Affordable Care Act could also wind up driving up healthcare costs indirectly, because of causing other medical issues.  Doctors are hoping the ACA’s two-pronged approach to substance abuse could help curb addictions and reduce healthcare spending substantially.

If you have specific questions about how the Affordable Care Act could positively impact your treatment experiences, you can call us at the California Addiction Network for further information.  Now more than ever before, the cost of drug and alcohol treatment could be more affordable and it is the right time to find out if you qualify to be covered under the Affordable Care Act.  Do not wait any longer, because you could finally have access to the services and treatment you need to change your entire life.

California Drug Overdose Deaths on the Rise

The number of deaths from drug overdoses in the state of California, most of which were due to prescription medications, increased by 31% from 1999 to 2010, according to recently released information.  These statistics are quite frightening, but how they compare with other states may surprise you.

California surprisingly fared better than many states in relation to overdose deaths and it came in with the 15^th lowest drug-overdose mortality rate in America.  Approximately 10.6 per 100,000 people suffered fatal overdoses in 2010, according to the “Prescription Drug Abuse: Strategies to Stop the Epidemic,” which was released by the nonprofit group Trust for America’s Health. While most states received a score of 6 or less, California scored an 8 on a scale of 10, for “promising indicators,” on strategies to curb prescription drug abuse.

According to Billie Weiss, the associate director of the Southern California Injury and Violence Research Prevention Program at UCLA, “We’ve been working at it, but we can do better.  We can be using our pharmacy prescribing database to really keep better track of physicians who are overprescribing…We have drug shoppers who go to a bunch of physicians and get prescriptions; using that prescribing database would really help identify some of those folks.”

While California has an active prescription drug monitoring database called C.U.R.E.S, for certain types of controlled substances, it does not make it mandatory for physicians to report every patient’s information.  As of 2014, approximately 33 other states, including; Alaska, Florida, Kansas, Minnesota, New Jersey, South Dakota, Oregon, Wisconsin, Washington, New Hampshire, Delaware, Virginia, Texas, Illinois, Ohio, North Carolina, Vermont, Maine, Mississippi, Alabama, South Carolina, Tennessee, Iowa, Utah, Colorado, Wyoming and others have implemented prescription drug monitoring programs.

California has been given points for many indicators, including having a “doctor shopping law” and a “good Samaritan law.”  The “doctor shopping law” prohibits people from withholding information about prior prescriptions from their health care professionals, while the “good Samaritan law” provides someone with immunity or lessening of a sentence for those who seek help from themselves or someone else experiencing a drug overdose.

Nationally, overdose deaths involving prescription medications, specifically painkillers, have quadrupled since 1999, and now outnumber those deaths from cocaine and heroin combined.

Prescription drug abuse and misuse have reached epidemic proportions and it warrants a strong public health response.  California Governor Jerry Brown recently signed two new bills into law aimed at curbing prescription drug abuse.  The first one is SB 670 and it gives the state medical board the authority to inspect and copy medical records of a deceased patient without a court order or the consent of the next of kin.  The second bill SB 809, increases practitioners licensing fees in order to fund an overhaul of the C.U.R.E.S system database, which some doctors now consider too difficult to use.

We at the California Addiction Network applaud the recent laws passed to aid in protecting people from death by drug overdose. However, we are also realistic in that we know there are countless numbers of people who are in need of help and we invite them to call us today, because the longer you play around with drugs the worse your life will become.

The United States and Italy Cracking Down on Mafia Drug Smuggling

Italian and American authorities said Tuesday, February 11^th, 2014,  that they have broken up a new heroin and cocaine trafficking drug ring coordinated by Italy’s powerful ‘Ndrangheta’ organized crime syndicate and New York’s famous Gambino mafia crime family.  Seventeen individuals were placed under arrest in Italy and another seven were arrested in New York, officials said.

The investigation just highlighted how ‘Ndrangheta’ is spreading its influence and operations beyond the borders of Italy, as it coordinates its position as one of the world’s most powerful drug trafficking organizations.  It also underscored how ‘Ndrangheta’ that is based in the Southern region of Calabria, is  now encroaching on territory which was once occupied by the Sicilian-based Cosa Nostra, since the Gambino’s were in the Sicilian mafia’s American branch.

The anti-mafia Italian police stated the “New Bridge” operation targeted a new cocaine trafficking route via South America to the Southern Italian port of Gioia Tauro which united the Gambino’s with the ‘Ndrangheta.” In exchange, the Italians were to traffic their heroin directly into the United States market.

The aim of the Italian and American mafia alliance was to “build a bridge of criminality and corruption to stretch from South America to Italy and back to New York,” stated Marshall Miller, a top prosecutor in the United States Attorney’s office in Brooklyn.

Through the use of wiretaps and an undercover agent called “Jimmy” who infiltrated the NY mob, officials say they have thwarted the delivery to Italy of some 500 kilograms of pure cocaine.  The shipment was to have been hidden among canned coconuts and pineapples on its way from Guyana to Gioia Tauro, in Northern Italy.

Raffaele Grassi, head of the Italian police’s central operative service unit stated, “The ‘Ndrangheta’ can and has to be considered one of the most powerful organizations in the world for handling international drug trafficking. The ‘Ndrangheta’ has left its territory of origin; beyond occupying areas of our country and infiltrating itself in Northern Italy, the ‘Ndrangheta’ is looking for criminals beyond the border, invading new markets to make profit.”

The FBI worked with the Italian police in Italy and vice versa, and Miller and other officials from the U.S. Attorney’s office in Brooklyn were on hand in Rome for the press conference announcing the information about the arrests.  The Italian suspects have been accused of mafia association and drug trafficking, along with various other charges.  Miller stated one of the American based suspects was accused of money laundering through a Brooklyn based bank and that several hundred thousand dollars was also seized during the investigation.

There are many reasons why we, at the California Addiction Network are ecstatic about this revelation, because any drugs removed from the streets are a good thing.  We ask you to please consider right now, if your drug abuse has escalated to the point of becoming uncontrollable and if so, you should contact us right now without delay, because your entire future and life are on the line.

Antioch, CA House Fire Reveals a Marijuana Growing House

A house fire in Antioch, CA led investigators to discover an indoor marijuana growing house.  In January 2014, nearly 1,000 marijuana plants and cultivating equipment were seized by police after the place caught on fire.

A neighbor on Hidden Glen Drive saw the home’s electrical panel sparking and called 9-1-1 around 9:00 p.m.  Firefighters found a number of marijuana plants inside the home and called the police. Nobody was home at the time of the fire, so there were no injuries to report.  A power company worker inspected the electrical panel to see if it is possibly what caused the house to catch fire.

The fire appears to have originated in the home’s dining room, but was quickly brought under control.  The home’s owners rigged the home’s electrical system to bypass the utility meter and the set-up is what had caused the electric panel to overheat.

Police removed 960 plants from the two-story house located in the 4500 block of Hidden Glen Drive, after serving a search warrant on the home hours after fireman put out the blaze.  The one-alarm fire began in a wall behind a fuse box and fire crews had it put out within minutes of it starting, according to fire inspector Steven Aubert of the Contra Costa Fire Protection District.

Abuert stated, “What’s fortunate is that it was a brand new home and it contained a sprinkler system.  That kept the fire to its point of origin.  The damage sustained was very minimal.”

Morefield stated the house was part of a large-scale marijuana growing operation.  At the present time, police are still trying to identify and locate the owners of the home.   Anybody with information about the fire is urged to call the Antioch, California Police Department at (925) 779-6895.

California Drug Bust Had Connections to Cartel

After a yearlong investigation using wiretaps, undercover police informants, and purchases of automatic weapons, federal authorities facilitated raids in Merced, Stanislaus and San Joaquin counties in California.  The large scale drug trafficking operation was found to have ties to the Sinaloa drug cartel in Mexico.

The raids were conducted in locations throughout the Valley early on Wednesday, January 29^th, 2014, and it resulted in eleven people being arrested and the police seized weapons, marijuana and methamphetamine.  According to a search warrant unsealed Wednesday in U.S. District County, the investigation focused around adjoining horse ranches on Almond Avenue in Patterson which were owned by Augustin Ramirez.

According to U.S. Justice Department spokeswoman, Lauren Horwood, “Evidence uncovered during the investigation indicates the ring used sophisticated methods to conceal and smuggle the contraband, including commercial trucks with hollowed out drive shafts and vehicles equipped with hidden compartments.”

Federal investigators stated the drug ring has ties to the Mexican cartel which is headed by Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman.  Two horse ranches in Stanislaus County were among those searched and during the investigation, police found five indoor marijuana growing operations, nearly 60 pounds of processed marijuana, meth and more than $20,000 in cash.  Officials believed the organization was growing marijuana and distributing methamphetamine.

In total, police authorities seized about 90 pounds of methamphetamine, three firearms and an undisclosed amount of cash.  According to the United States Immigrationand Customs Enforcement I.C.E., at least 6 of the 11 people who were arrested in the raids faced federal drug trafficking and weapons charges, including suspected ring leader, Francisco “Paco” Felix.

At the current time, at least four other people are still being sought in connection with the raids.

Investigators started buying methamphetamine, cocaine and marijuana from suspects including Francisco Felix and Martinez.   The investigation into the drug ring was first launched in January of 2013 and court documents outline a long history of purchases of marijuana and methamphetamine and later illegal weapons.

On September 19^th, 2013, Francisco Felix reportedly told a person working with investigators that he could get at least 200 pounds of methamphetamine which had been cooked and stored in Culiacan.  Felix reportedly bragged about the shipment stating it had “never been stepped on,” meaning it was pure.

Authorities searched six different locations in Patterson, three in Ceres, two in Tracy and Newman and one in each Stevinson, Modesto, Stockton, Turlock and Mountain House, according to court affidavits.  Around 25 sheriffs’ deputies and other law enforcement officials from Merced County participated in the early-morning raids.  Authorities in Merced and Stanislaus counties referred questions about the raid to state and federal agencies.

It is not clear Wednesday if any of the arrests were made in Merced County and police are pleased with the outcome and the amount of narcotics, weapons and cash that were seized.

$7 Million in Marijuana Found in Electronics Shipment in Tustin, CA

Approximately 12 tons of marijuana with a street value of $7 million was found hidden among a shipment of electronics in a tractor-trailer in Tustin, California.  Police responding to a report of a possible attempted cargo theft in the 1100 block of Warner Avenue discovered the drugs, after the driver of the trailer contacted them.

The driver of the rig believed he was transporting a simple shipment of electronics from San Diego, California to Tustin.  He told police he was traveling through Orange County when two men in a white cargo van pulled up next to him and the passenger demanded he pull over.  The passenger showed some kind of badge on a chain which was dangling from around his neck and it made the driver uneasy and suspicious.

The driver of the tractor-trailer was suspicious about the unprofessional look and demeanor of the men in the cargo van and so he pulled into a local business where an armed security guard was stationed.  At that time the truck driver called the police to report the incident.  The van lingered in the area for a bit afterwards, but fled the scene when police arrived.

The police later determined that no law enforcement agency was involved in trying to stop the big rig.  During an inspection of the tractor-trailer which was tightly packed, police discovered approximately 12 tons of marijuana concealed in bricks and hidden among the many boxes.  The marijuana had a street value of more than $7 million, which was a great strike against the battle to keep drugs off of the streets.

The van driver was described as a Hispanic male about 30-years of age and he had a shaved head.  The passenger was also described as being Hispanic, with a thin build and he was wearing what appeared to be a black ballistics type vest.  The driver of the tractor-trailer was not suspected in aiding the transport of the drugs and was not placed under arrest for the incident.

Police are still seeking information and leads about the crime and are asking the public to become involved.  People with any information about the case are encouraged to contact Detective Haug at(714) 573-3246.