Office of the Attorney General
Attorney General Conway's Prescription Drug Abuse Task Force Participates in Floyd County Drug Round-up

Members of Attorney General Jack Conway's new statewide prescription drug abuse task force assisted in a drug round-up in Floyd County on Tuesday, September 15. The joint operation between the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) Drug Diversion Task Force; Operation Unlawful Narcotics Investigations, Treatment and Education (UNITE); Floyd County Sheriff's Department; and police departments from Prestonsburg and Martin resulted in the arrests of three individuals on charges of trafficking in a controlled substance. Additional arrests and charges are expected.

Arrested as part of yesterday's drug round-up were:

• Teresa Rowe, 49, of Prestonsburg — trafficking in a controlled substance, 1st degree. Arrested in Johnson County, Rowe also faces charges of possession of a controlled substance in that county.
• Mancie Bentley, 57, of Martin — 2 counts of trafficking in a controlled substance, 1st degree and 2nd degree
• Clinton Thomas, 34, of Prestonsburg — 2 counts of trafficking in a controlled substance, 2nd degree.

All three defendants, currently lodged in the Floyd County Detention Center, were indicted by a Floyd County grand jury on July 2, 2009. The indictments were returned on Sept.1 and Sept. 10 and are the result of a seven-month investigation by the OAG and Operation UNITE. Operation UNITE works to combat illegal drug use in Eastern Ky. During the undercover investigation, investigators were able to purchase Hydrocodone, Oxycodone, Methadone and Suboxone.

"Getting illegal prescription drugs off of the streets and out of the hands of those who are abusing them, particularly our youth, remain top priorities of mine," said General Conway. "With our new statewide prescription drug abuse task force and the strong partnerships we have forged with Operation UNITE and local law enforcement agencies across the state, we can step-up our fight against an enemy that is shattering families and claiming lives in every corner of the Commonwealth."

General Conway last month announced creation of Kentucky's first statewide drug diversion task force dedicated to investigating drug trafficking, overprescribing physicians, doctor shopping and illegal out-of-state pharmacies.

OAG Drug Diversion Accomplishments since January 2008

• Prescription Drugs Seized: More than 4,400
• Cases Opened: 257
• Arrests: 72
• Indictments: 44/ on more than 240 counts
• Participated in Drug Round-Ups: 13
• Prescription Drug Diversion Training: approximately 150 local law enforcement, prosecutors and health care professionals.