There’s a new top agent in charge at the DEA’s Chicago Field Division, and his focus goes beyond getting drugs off the street.
There’s a new top agent in charge at the DEA’s Chicago Field Division, and his focus goes beyond getting drugs off the street.The agency is also cracking down on doctors who commit serious violations, including those accused or convicted of violent crimes unrelated to their medical work.
The division’s new special agent in charge says the DEA is paying close attention to cases where medical professionals may still have the authority to prescribe drugs while facing serious criminal charges.Todd Smith, a 21-year veteran of the DEA, became the highest-ranking official for the agency in Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin last month.In recent months, the DEA has stepped in on two high-profile local cases involving medical professionals.In December, Trevor Roston, a hospitalist in Elgin, was charged with sexually assaulting a 16-year-old girl with intellectual disabilities.Last month, Michael McKee, a surgeon in Rockford, was extradited to Ohio, where he is accused of murdering his ex-wife and her husband, a well-known dentist in the Columbus area.In both cases, the DEA asked the doctors to surrender their ability to prescribe medications in Illinois. Smith says the agency moved quickly, even though neither case involved allegations of prescription abuse."In both instances, the doctors were alleged and charged in the state to have conducted violent crime, and we want to protect the community, so we moved quickly to obtain voluntary surrenders for cause, so those doctors could not prescribe medicine in the state of Illinois," Smith said.Smith says while cases like these are uncommon, the DEA takes action whenever a doctor is charged with serious crimes."This is fairly rare, you know. Obviously, you don't see doctors charged with crimes very frequently, but when they are charged with crime through the state or the federal government, DEA will look to have those DEA registrations voluntarily surrendered."Smith also shared concerns about a newer street drug gaining traction in the Chicago area and beyond. The drug, known as tusi, is a pink powder that authorities say is showing up more frequently.
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