AN elaborate law enforcement sting in the USA has led to the arrest of a doctor on Florida's Gulf Coast accused of selling "hundreds" of fraudulent prescriptions for people she had never seen.
Court records indicate that 62-year-old Neelam Uppal was charged last week on three counts of trafficking in codeine, and three relating to oxycodone, according to the records of the investigation.
The local sheriff in Pinellas confirmed receipt of an anonymous tip in May which alleged the medico was writing scripts for cash.
Detectives and a confidential informant then posed as customers seeking the medications and allegedly confirmed the scam, with a police spokesperson saying authorities believe the doctor had been "preying on drug addicts for several years".
Just since Jan they allege she sold more than 550 prescriptions for promethazine-codeine cough syrup as well as hundreds more for oxycodone, claiming she was charging US$450 for an oxy script and US$650 for codeine syrup.
A search warrant for the doctor's home revealed an alleged cornucopia of items including "prescription pads, patient records, ledgers and numerous prescriptions filled out with patient names" - along with almost US$2 million in cash stored in various travel bags, as well as several gold bars and jewellery items.
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