How A Clandestine Operation Foiled A Pensacola Drug Ring It's the ultimate in close-quarters surveillance, and it's something that just doesn't happen in Pensacola. Perhaps in high profile, organized-crime investigations in New York City and Chicago. Or during large-scale South Florida busts that net hundreds of pounds of seized drugs. "Operation Sandshaker," the federal investigation into a cocaine ring that led to 41 arrests this month, marks one of the first times authorities in Northwest Florida have installed hidden cameras inside a suspect's home. [continues 1358 words]
Robert J. Koch's cheerleading for the drug court system fails to acknowledge its fatal flaw when combined with the irrational drug policies of Gov. Jeb Bush. Bush's critical error is his failure to make any distinction between the use and the abuse of any drug, most notably marijuana. Thus, the well-intentioned drug court model is now jammed monthly with thousands of marijuana "clients" whose need for drug treatment is no more so than an alcohol user who drinks a six-pack on the weekend, or enjoys wine with his meals. [continues 127 words]
I read with interest a recent letter from the 11th Circuit Drug Court coordinator. Predictably, the author, like any bureaucrat, fiercely defends his domain, glossing over the glaring flaws of the system that butters his bread. Yes, drug courts are a step forward, but only marginally when compared to the neverending Drug War Inc. By court rules, criminals with actual drug problems are not diverted to drug court; only first-time, nonviolent "offenders" are eligible. The majority of people who become entangled in the drug court morass are otherwise law-abiding folk, productive citizens and taxpayers who chose to relax in private with a joint rather than a beer. Drug courts do not distinguish between use and abuse. Nor is there one iota of evidence that "coerced treatment works" for occasional users of cannabis. Drug courts are in the business of "solving" a problem that doesn't exist. Bureaucrats are in the business of protecting their jobs. Neither has any credibility. Paw Paw, MI [end]
If anything, the tragedy of Limbaugh's addiction and of the tens of thousands of other Americans enslaved by illict drugs is that law enforcement plays a valuable role in substance abuse prevention and treatment by virtue of its coercive authority in leading nonviolent abusers and addicts to the rehabilitation they often voluntarily reject. For example, Rush would not have likely entered into treatment had he not been charged with possession. The drug court system given birth in Miami over two decades ago has been responsible for diverting thousands of nonviolent and often first-time drug offenders from incarceration to treatment, by encouraging offenders to choose graduation from a rehab program over the more costly and debilitating option of prison time. This drug policy reform initiative has been already alive and well and should be nurtured, supported and allowed to grow, evidenced by its success in reducing recidivism (rearrest in Miami-Dade only 6 percent among graduates), in contrast to the much higher recidivism rates among non-drug court probationers. [continues 91 words]
(And Why It Took Years For Police To Find It) Self-motivated. Trustworthy. Needs little or no supervision. That praise for a Jacksonville detective accused of stuffing nearly $560,000 into two Sheriff's Office file cabinets came repeatedly from supervisors who were supposed to know what he was up to. They didn't. They did so little to keep tabs on Detective Brian Murphy that they once copied his performance evaluations from one year to another without changing a word. [continues 2020 words]
Editor, On Dec. 18, the 17th Statewide Grand Jury issued its second interim report detailing extensive criminal activity surrounding the Florida Medicaid Program. Corrupt doctors, clinics, pharmacies and Medicaid recipients are costing the taxpayers millions of dollars through fraud and risking public health with their actions. This grand jury has done outstanding work in the area of prescription drugs. In its first report in February, grand jurors provided thoughtful recommendations aimed at controlling the act of watering down prescription drugs. Our office worked with Governor Bush and the Legislature to pass tough new laws that will have a dramatic impact on this practice. [continues 161 words]
A Senate Subcommittee Will Offer Legislation This Spring To Recover An Estimated $1.2-Billion Lost Each Year To Fraud TALLAHASSEE - Crooked pharmacies, doctors and Medicaid patients are soaking Florida taxpayers for millions of dollars in painkillers and phony cancer treatments, officials say. Attorney General Charlie Crist has made Medicaid fraud a top priority, a grand jury has spent months investigating and now a new Senate subcommittee will recommend legislation this spring to recoup the estimated $1.2-billion lost each year. [continues 996 words]
Local law enforcement officials weren't taking it easy this holiday week - and that's good news for residents. Tampa police launched two operations that show they're willing to use all available resources to combat drug peddling, prostitution and street crimes that destroy neighborhoods. The get-tough approach is important because allowing even minor crimes encourages further lawlessness. In contrast, clamping down hard on those crimes, as New Yorkers found under Mayor Rudy Giuliani, gives cities a sense of order and safety and reduces the crime rate. [continues 252 words]
WEST PALM BEACH -- A judge resealed Rush Limbaugh's medical records Wednesday, giving the conservative radio commentator's attorneys time to appeal his earlier decision allowing prosecutors to examine the files for evidence Limbaugh illegally purchased painkillers. Palm Beach Circuit Judge Jeffrey A. Winikoff ruled that the records should remain sealed for 15 days while Limbaugh's attorneys pursue their appeal to keep the records private. Winikoff had ruled Tuesday that prosecutors could examine the records, but could not make them public. [continues 235 words]
MIAMI -- The mother of four was a "mule" -- a smuggler who swallowed capsules of cocaine to bring the lucrative powder into the United States. She admitted as much when she pleaded guilty to conspiracy to import cocaine into Miami International Airport. But a Florida appeals court ruled Wednesday that the mother's arrest, even with her 2-year-old daughter in tow, and her subsequent conviction and imprisonment, were not good enough reasons for the woman to lose custody of her children. [continues 433 words]
MIAMI --Swallowing capsules to smuggle cocaine into the country was not enough reason for a woman to lose custody over her four children, an appeals court ruled. The 3rd District Court of Appeal overturned a Department of Children & Families motion to have the mother's parental rights terminated because of "egregious conduct," which had been granted by Circuit Judge Scott M. Bernstein. The five-page opinion said despite the woman having had her 2-year-old daughter with her when she was arrested at Miami International Airport, "the Department did not produce competent, substantial evidence of specific harm to the children." The woman was identified only as P.S. in the proceedings. [continues 159 words]
WEST PALM BEACH - Prosecutors investigating whether Rush Limbaugh illegally went ``doctor shopping'' for prescription painkillers may examine his medical records, a judge ruled Tuesday. The conservative radio commentator accused prosecutors of going after him for political reasons, and his attorney promptly appealed the ruling. Circuit Judge Jeffrey A. Winikoff said authorities have a compelling interest in determining whether Limbaugh broke the law, which trumps his right to keep the records private; however, the judge said prosecutors may not make the records public. [continues 88 words]
Lawyers Investigating Radio Host's Drug Use Look at 'Doctor Shopping' WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Prosecutors investigating whether Rush Limbaugh illegally went "doctor shopping" for prescription painkillers can examine his medical records, a judge ruled Tuesday. The conservative radio commentator accused prosecutors of going after him for political reasons, and his attorney promptly appealed the ruling. Circuit Judge Jeffrey Winikoff said authorities have a compelling interest in determining whether Limbaugh broke the law, which trumps his right to keep his medical records private. The judge said prosecutors cannot make the records public. [continues 338 words]
But They Cannot Be Publicized, Judge Says WEST PALM BEACH - Prosecutors investigating whether Rush Limbaugh illegally went "doctor shopping" for prescription painkillers can examine his medical records, a judge ruled Tuesday. The conservative radio commentator accused prosecutors of going after him for political reasons, and his attorney promptly appealed the ruling. Circuit Judge Jeffrey A. Winikoff said authorities have a compelling interest in determining whether Limbaugh broke the law, which trumps his right to keep his medical records private. However, the judge said prosecutors cannot make the records public. [continues 289 words]
Palm Beach County prosecutors can have access to Rush Limbaugh's seized medical records to determine whether he violated state prescription laws, a judge ruled Tuesday, in an investigation the conservative commentator promptly called political payback on his national radio show. Limbaugh's attorney, Roy Black, immediately moved to block the review of the records, but the judge's order opened a window of time in which prosecutors can go through the documents. It was not immediately clear Tuesday whether they took advantage of that. [continues 820 words]
A Florida judged ruled today that prosecutors can review the medical records of radio talk show commentator Rush Limbaugh as part of an investigation into allegations that he engaged in "doctor shopping" to illegally purchase large amounts of pain killers. Attorneys for Limbaugh said that they would appeal today's decision by Palm Beach County Circuit Court Judge Jeffrey A. Winikoff, who rejected their petition to dismiss search warrants issued for the seizure of Limbaugh's confidential medical records. However, the judge's order prohibited state prosectors from releasing the medical records to the public. [continues 358 words]
Good news from the muchmaligned "war on drugs." A new study shows drug use among American teenagers has dropped markedly in the past two years. It wasn't uniform. Cocaine and heroin usage leveled off between 2001 and 2003, but it had previously dropped considerably from where it was in the late 1990s. But marijuana usage was down 11 percent, and some other drugs -- including LSD, Esctasy and amphetamines -- also dipped. The study was sponsored by the federal government and conducted by the Institute for Social Research at the University of Michigan. Lloyd Johnson, who administered the survey for the institute, credited the reductions to the realization by more young people that drugs are dangerous. The government has sponsored a strong antidrug media campaign to deliver that message. [continues 268 words]
A Judge Rules That Prosecutors Can Examine The Radio Talk Show Host's Medical Records In A Drug Inquiry. WEST PALM BEACH - Prosecutors may examine Rush Limbaugh's medical records to determine whether he should be charged with "doctor shopping" for prescription painkillers, a judge ruled Tuesday. Limbaugh accused prosecutors of going after him for political reasons. Palm Beach Circuit Judge Jeffrey A. Winikoff denied the conservative radio commentator's request to keep the records sealed, but he said prosecutors cannot make the records public. Limbaugh's attorney promised a prompt appeal. [continues 474 words]
WEST PALM BEACH -- Palm Beach County prosecutors can have access to Rush Limbaugh's seized medical records to determine whether he violated state prescription laws, a judge ruled Tuesday. Limbaugh's attorney, Roy Black, immediately moved to block the review of the records, but the judge's order opened a window of time in which prosecutors can go through the documents. It was not immediately clear Tuesday whether they took advantage of that. Black argued during an hourlong hearing Monday that prosecutors violated Limbaugh's right to privacy by seizing the records with search warrants, instead of following a state law that requires them to first notify Limbaugh and give him a chance to fight it. [continues 427 words]
I have a question. Why is marijuana so popular? I work from midnight to 8 a.m. The other night when I was on my way to work, I was stopped at a red light by Fleischmann Park. I looked over because of all the racket that was going on, and I smelled weed coming from that direction. Needless to say I contacted the authorities, but their response is just a broken record. What can we do to stop the distribution of weed? [continues 118 words]
The Government Doesn't Even Want You to Have the Right to Protest Its Stupid War on Drugs. December is the season for giving, and no one gives more generous gifts than the U.S. Congress. Of course, Congress has the advantage of doing its last-minute holiday shopping at someone else's expense, namely yours and mine. For example, on Dec. 8, the House of Representatives passed a bill that gives the White House drug czar's office $145,000,000 of taxpayer money to run anti-marijuana propaganda ads. My personal favorite in this genre is a television ad in which police rough up a high school student when arresting him in the school's marijuana-smoke-filled bathroom. This is followed by a caption reading, "Marijuana: Harmless? Think again." (And no, I did not make that up). [continues 493 words]
His Lawyer Denies The Radio Commentator Was Laundering Money, As He Argues For Keeping Seized Medical Records Sealed WEST PALM BEACH - Rush Limbaugh was blackmailed by a former maid who later told law enforcement and a tabloid newspaper about his addiction to prescription painkillers, his attorney told a judge on Monday. Attorney Roy Black said Limbaugh could not complain to authorities about the maid's demand for $4-million because they would use the information against him. He argued that prosecutors now are attempting to discredit the conservative radio commentator by investigating whether Limbaugh went "doctor shopping" for prescription painkillers. Black said prosecutors violated his client's privacy when they seized medical records from his doctors in Florida and California. [continues 385 words]
A generous portion of a recent Florida Today front page was committed, along with considerable additional space on the second page, to informing readers of the numerous agencies engaged in the battle against bootleg and counterfeit cigarettes. Philip Morris and R.J. Reynolds have hired their own undercover tobacco police and last year checked more than 40,000 stores and filed lawsuits against more than 2,700 retailers. It sounds like a gallant effort, but my problem is this: In our own country, the land of the free, how is it possible that uncontrolled cocaine, heroin and marijuana are available in every state, in every city and in every small town? Obviously it is being shipped across our borders by the carload, trainload, shipload, planeload and luggage load, without much control. I'm disgusted. Our federal agencies are failing. Maybe Philip Morris and R.J. Reynolds could help. J. Dale Schultz Cocoa Beach [end]
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Rush Limbaugh paid "substantial" blackmail to a former maid before she told law enforcement and a tabloid newspaper about his addiction to prescription painkillers, his attorney told a judge Monday. Attorney Roy Black said Limbaugh could not complain to authorities about the maid's demand for $4 million because they would use the information against him, and that the maid and her husband "bled him dry" before going public anyway. The claim was made during a court hearing where Black asked that medical records related to Limbaugh be kept secret. The seizure of the records from doctors in Florida and California violated the conservative radio commentator's privacy, Black argued. [continues 448 words]
Editor, Naples Daily News: Letter-writer Larry Brennan's idea of having our government buy all the drugs and then destroy them is interesting to be sure -- but there's one big problem that I'm sure others will bring to your attention. Under his plan there will still be a huge demand for the drugs that are being destroyed. If there continues to be a demand, there will always be a supply because there is money to be made. So I don't think his idea will work to reduce our problems with drugs and the inherent problems with prohibition. Nice try, though. Scott Russ, Baton Rouge, La. [end]
It is a shame when we read that our government has essentially declared war on its own citizens. Thus seems to be the case in the "Sandshaker bust." Much can be said about the "drug war," but the recent arrests illustrate, better than any words, the problems associated with this hypocritical, wasteful and generally wrong- headed effort which erodes our civil liberties and ruins the lives of citizens who, for the most part, are productive and constructive members of our community. [continues 446 words]
The phone rang. The national editor of a newspaper asked me, "So are they going to rename the town Pensa-cocaine? I see we're not the only place getting snowed under." Call it what you will. The righteous wing of the community: shameful, an indication of society's decadence, proof the cultural war is being won by the wrong side; the liberal latitudes and attitudes wing of the community: boomer-generation recreational drug use, poor personal choices, predictable dysfunctional living manifested by out- of-control controlling behavior. [continues 798 words]
Scales, Refrigerator, $9,000 Among Items Seized In Raids Federal agents hauled off an array of items used to snort, weigh and smoke cocaine, including sifters and scales. They got dozens of plastic bags containing traces of the drug. They took photographs that had been posted on one man's refrigerator, nearly $9,000 that another man had stowed away in a safe, address books from several homes and a firearm. The agents walked out with a bounty when they searched 11 locations in the Pensacola area as the "Operation Sandshaker" investigation into local cocaine trafficking came to a head Dec. 8-9. [continues 866 words]
"Operation Sandshaker"? Why not "Operation Stake-out on Panferio Drive"? Sheesh! OK, what's the difference between a crack bust on West Cervantes Street and a cocaine bust on Pensacola Beach Boulevard? Location, location, location! I guess that white sand wasn't the only draw for some folks and they didn't need a hurricane to blow it all away, either. All joking aside, any conspiracy theorist worth his salt might want to take a closer look at the big picture here. Everyone knows the Sandshaker Lounge may as well be built on solid gold as beach sand. The developer or investor who happens to land this property in a sweetheart deal is going to make a killing on condo sales, don't you know? You don't suppose there's any connection? No, no way! (You think?) Ernest Lewis Gulf Breeze [end]
For about $1.25 a month, or just over 40 cents a day, Charlotte County could make a huge dent in juvenile crime and drug use. And, while politicians are weary right now of asking taxpayers to do anything more, it is an investment we must consider making. The investment would come in the form of a children's services tax. How much, and who would pay? The tax could be a little as .10 a mill or as much as .20 a mill. Even at the higher rate, that would mean only an additional $15 a year for the owner of a $100,000 home with a $25,000 homestead exemption. The return would be $2 million a year to help finance programs for kids. [continues 407 words]
Feb. 27 Sentencing Set; Life In Prison Possible The woman known for introducing the Bushwacker to Pensacola Beach pleaded guilty Thursday to federal drug conspiracy and money-laundering charges. Linda Murphy, owner of the Sandshaker Lounge and Package Store, admitted to helping her husband, Robert Murphy, and others pay for large amounts of cocaine that they had been importing during the past three years. Linda Murphy is scheduled to be sentenced Feb. 27. She could face from 10 years to life in prison and fines of up to $4 million. [continues 824 words]
The recent headline "Prominent citizens arrested in drug ring" by Amber Bollman and Brett Norman displayed tasteless, tactless and uncalled for mention of a totally innocent and uninvolved family member of one who was arrested. The mention of a family member of a 40-year-old adult has absolutely no journalistic value and should never have been mentioned. I suppose the writers were trying to justify their headline's use of "Prominent citizens" because in my opinion there was maybe only one who could be considered prominent of those arrested. It's as if they drive around looking for the proverbial puddle with an unsuspecting bystander on the other side. Good, community-oriented people get hurt by this kind of indiscretion. I guess my message is, "Think before you print." Kees Barfield, Tampa [end]
I am not perfect, nor have I never made bad choices or mistakes. However, I do know there are consequences to my actions. That said, the statement in the Dec. 11 News Journal by attorney Jim Jenkins that "the majority of the people who have contacted me are merely personal users of cocaine (sic)" blew me away. His argument is that because they just use they cause no harm. Who does he think he is kidding? The "merely personal users" are the very people responsible for trafficking. They are the sole reason the cocaine dealers are in business. [continues 124 words]
Archer, Powell, Sanford Each Reverse Pleas Three more suspects indicted on federal drug charges last week have pleaded guilty and have agreed to cooperate with the government's investigation. On Friday, Mary Jo Archer, Glen Murray Sanford Jr. and Dana Lynn Powell admitted to taking part in a drug conspiracy that brought more than 5 kilograms of cocaine into the area during the past three years. They initially pleaded innocent Dec. 12. Another suspect, Denise Killerlane Winkler, also appeared before U.S. District Judge Roger Vinson on Friday morning. But Prosecutors and Winkler's attorney, Carl Lida, asked to have the hearing closed, and Vinson approved the motion. [continues 583 words]
TAMPA -- The Florida Department of Health hopes that as nightclub patrons raise a glass this holiday season, a simple cocktail napkin will raise their awareness. As part of the agency's Sexual Violence Prevention Program, 119 nightclubs statewide plan to hand out cocktail napkins that caution women to beware of someone slipping dangerous drugs into their drinks. The Health Department said Thursday it is distributing 1 million educational cocktail napkins to nightclubs in 14 cities, including Tampa. Printed on the napkins is this caution: "Watch your drink, stay safe from club drugs." The napkins include a toll-free number and a Web address for the Florida Council Against Sexual Violence. [continues 119 words]
He Claims The Policy Is Unconstitutional TALLAHASSEE (AP) -- A 17-year state government employee is suing the Department of Juvenile Justice, alleging its 1 1/2-year-old policy of randomly testing any employee for drugs without a warrant violates the U.S Constitution. Roderick Wenzel, who worked as a manager at the department's Tallahassee headquarters for four years after 13 years in other state government jobs, sued the agency Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Tallahassee seeking unspecified monetary damages. [continues 288 words]
While useful information was provided in your articles on prescription pain medications, you are naming specific medications which, when taken as directed, are safe. What you are doing is deciding what should or should not be prescribed to everyone. I am disabled with severe back diseases as well as cancer. I have severe allergic reactions to most medications. I can't keep changing medications every time your reporters print a story. I agree something needs to be done, but you have every doctor and now even pharmacies trying new medicines that have worse side effects for severe chronic pain management patients than the ones being used now when taken correctly. You also talk about cost of these medicines, but what can a permanently disabled person do? Be forced to take cheaper medications that cause stomach bleeding, liver, kidney and heart trouble? [continues 160 words]
FORT LAUDERDALE - Corrupt doctors, clinics and patients are fleecing Florida's Medicaid program out of millions of tax dollars by scheming to resell prescription drugs to street buyers, with few consequences if they're caught, a grand jury report released Thursday said. Wholesalers are flooding the black market with prescription drugs. Those drugs are purchased illegally by abusers, some of whom die of overdoses. The statewide report, which focused on South Florida cases, estimates that three to five people in Florida die each day from prescription drug abuse. [continues 153 words]
I respect the motives of The Tampa Tribune for supporting the recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling that police need not wait more that 15 to 20 seconds after knocking on the door of a drug suspect before entering his apartment (Our Opinion, Dec. 9). Perhaps this time we'll get it right. Perhaps we can discard the tools we have accumulated in our 30- year drug war. After all, we know they don't work. No, the police would say, keep them all and try harder. Drive the price of drugs so high that potential users do not start and abusers quit. But working at cross-purposes is the glitz of higher profit. More tools in the arsenal mean more profit. We have handed police an impossible task because a market cannot be destroyed by making it more profitable, especially if the market is for a product that prevents or reduces pain. [continues 52 words]
Prescription drugs when abused can kill and debilitate just as readily as street drugs. It's estimated that on average five people die each day in Florida because of prescription drug abuse. That's more than 1,800 people a year. Thousands more face loss of jobs, loss of family and loss of sanity because they are hooked on prescription drugs. Fortunately, there's a growing awareness in the upper echelons of state government that prescription drug abuse needs to be addressed with greater vigor. A task force of top state officials is being formed to develop new methods and strategies on how to deal with the problem. [continues 254 words]
TAMPA - The last person in a group said to be ``among the most significant drug traffickers in the world'' pleaded guilty in federal court Wednesday. The plea by Teofilo Castillo, who helped smuggle tons of cocaine into the United States from Colombia in the 1990s, closes a chapter in Operation Panama Express, described by U.S. Attorney Paul Perez as ``the most comprehensive maritime drug interdiction investigation in the history of federal narcotic enforcement.'' The Tampa-based, decadelong investigation aims to bring down the successors to the notorious Cali cartel. Castillo was the last of a group of cocaine smugglers who investigators say imported about 100 tons of cocaine a year, or roughly 20 percent of the cocaine that came into the United States annually. [continues 758 words]
Personal responsibility has again lost out to greed ("Injured woman's parents sue store over 'whippets'," Dec. 11). While my heart goes out to the parents of 18-year-old Jamie Cook, she is 18. An adult. A person of voting age. It was Jamie who chose to get into a moving vehicle and do the drugs. No one held a gun to her head. (Ms. Cook and a friend got high last summer on nitrous oxide gas from 'whippet' cartridges sold at a Boca Raton video store. The friend's car was involved in a head-on collision minutes later, leaving Ms. Cook with serious injuries and permanent brain damage. Her parents are suing the video store.) [continues 199 words]
I am writing to you regarding the Nov. 25 column, "Rush makes good case for drug reforms," by Clarence Page. I believe that he must be unaware of the status of drug reform in Florida. This state has wholeheartedly embraced drug reform through the dramatic expansion of the drug court system, with a statutory pre-trial option to any "first-time abuser" to participate in a drug court, with the opportunity to have the case dismissed upon successful completion. This is exactly the option that Mr. Page claims that the governor opposes. He also seems to be unaware that the governor's daughter, Noelle, participated in this same drug court option that is available to anyone with a possession charge. Ironically, because she was involved in drug court, she was not sent to jail when she had some problems in gaining and maintaining sobriety, just as the drug court system is designed to operate. She did experience shock incarceration as a motivational tool, as studies show that coerced treatment works. [continues 134 words]
Federal agents raided eight Broward County stores Friday afternoon, seizing thousands of items described as being used solely for the ingestion of illegal narcotics. U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement agents served the warrants shortly after noon, collecting pipes, tubes, smoking masks and clips. "We received some [information] from different sources and had our agents look into it," said Alexander Alonso, assistant special agent in charge of the agency's Miami office. "We discovered there were at least eight major violators, and today we served warrants at those locations." [continues 89 words]
WEST PALM BEACH -- Rush Limbaugh claims investigators who seized his medical records violated his privacy, and he has asked for a court hearing to keep the records from being released, according to a petition his attorneys filed Monday. Limbaugh argues that he cannot be treated for his "serious medical conditions" because the state seized all of his original charts and files last month and intimidated his doctors. The Palm Beach County State Attorney's Office seized the records for its investigation into whether Limbaugh engaged in illegal drug use and went "doctor shopping" for prescription painkillers. [continues 75 words]
In Some Of The Arrests By Tarpon Springs Police Being Scrutinized By The FDLE, Charges Were Dropped Because Evidence Was Improperly Seized TARPON SPRINGS - On its face, it's a simple request: "Would you do me a favor and open your mouth?" Tarpon Springs police Sgt. Michael Trill has asked drug suspects this question countless times. The night he asked Paul R. Smith that question, it led to a bust on a charge of possession of crack cocaine. It was one of many such arrests by the veteran officer. [continues 1034 words]
TALLAHASSEE - Facing a grim spate of deaths in Florida due to prescription drug abuse, top state officials on Friday announced they are forming a task force to develop new fraud-fighting strategies. "Lives are being lost," said state Attorney General Charlie Crist. "We have to do what we can to make sure this new era of drug dealing discontinues." Crist, and a half dozen health, law enforcement and drug policy advisers to Gov. Jeb Bush, said the task force will explore short-term and long-range plans for tackling Medicaid fraud, shutting down a black market of prescription drugs, ending addicts' "doctor shopping" for powerful painkillers and clamping down on illegal Internet sales of pharmaceuticals. [continues 877 words]
Count Charlotte County Mental Health Services Inc. as the latest victim of insurance costs. The Charlotte County program, which counsels and cares for the mentally ill and substance abusers young and old, is in trouble. Increases in the cost of medical malpractice insurance and worker's compensation, and a decision to pay for employees' health insurance, have opened up a $202,000 deficit, just four months into the fiscal year. The result? Layoffs. Jerry Ross, executive director of CCMHS, has given notice to 12 employees than he can no longer afford to keep them on staff. Their leaving will force other moves, including the shutting down of a group home that cared for more than a dozen severely mentally handicapped - -- most of them elderly. [continues 291 words]
Editor, Naples Daily News: Anybody remember the war on drugs? Is the major fighting over and the folks appearing in the headlines and Police Beat just part of the mopping-up process? I don't think so. With the new and improved Homeland Security Program, it would seem to go hand and hand to get a fix on all of the illicit drug traffic coming across our borders and into our country. The common-sense solution would be to have the government just buy the drugs from the farmers/producers for more than the drug dealers are willing to pay them. And then just destroy them before they get here. Think of the savings in human misery, to say nothing of the unnecessary costs associated with the necessary police and court procedures, insurance claims, etc. Seems too simple to work! Larry Brennan Naples [end]
Nancy Davis was pregnant with Ronald Reagan's child before they were wed. Speaker of the House "Nitwit" Gingrich was having an affair during Bill Clinton's impeachment. Speaker-elect Bob Livingston was rejected to replace "Nitwit" because it was found out Bob was messing around on his wife and had many previous affairs. Congressman Henry Hyde had sexual indiscretions with a married woman for five years. Isn't having an affair a big lie? Didn't George Bush dodge Vietnam through the Texas Air National Guard compliments of Daddy Bush? George never finished his full tour in the Guard. What makes commander in chief George so different from Bill Clinton? When asked about drugs and booze George said he won't go back past 28 years. Bush was embarrassed during his campaign when it came out he had gotten a DUI in the past. [continues 54 words]
Inside Florida
