Office of the Attorney General
Attorney General Conway's Statewide Prescription Drug Diversion Task Force Expands

Attorney General Jack Conway today announced the addition of two new members to his statewide Prescription Drug Diversion Task Force. Officers from the Floyd County Sheriff's Department and Prestonsburg Police Department were sworn in as task force members on Tuesday, May 4, 2010.

"I appreciate the work these officers have done to combat prescription drug abuse in their local communities and I look forward to working with them as we fight the scourge of prescription pain pill abuse across Kentucky," said General Conway.

General Conway's Prescription Drug Diversion Task Force is Kentucky's first statewide task force devoted solely to investigating prescription drug trafficking, overprescribing physicians, doctor shopping and illegal out of state pharmacies.

"The resources of the Attorney General's office and its experience in handling doctor shopping cases will be a great asset to us, particularly in Eastern Kentucky," said Floyd County Sheriff John Blackburn.

Prestonsburg Police Chief Michael Ormerod is also pleased with the new partnership. "Prescription pill addiction has touched just about every family around here. With the Attorney General's help, we'll be able to hammer down on this problem even more."

Prestonsburg Mayor Jerry Fannin also praises the task force and the ability of local and state law enforcement agencies to pool resources. "Working together, we can do more to combat prescription pill abuse and to help Kentucky families."

Other task force members include Hazard, Manchester, Owensboro and Morehead police departments as well as the Menifee County Sheriff's Department. Eastern Kentucky's Operation UNITE also has officers assigned to the Attorney General's task force.

In October 2009, General Conway's Prescription Drug Diversion Task Force participated in the largest drug sweep in Kentucky history. A total of 518 felony arrest warrants were issued, resulting in the arrest of more than 300 people over two days. Working with Operation Unite, the task force was responsible for 27 of the arrests on 30 indictments.

In addition to investigating prescription pill abuse, General Conway's Drug Investigations Branch has trained hundreds of local law enforcement and health care professionals in Kentucky, including physicians and pharmacists, on drug diversion efforts, illegal out-of-state pharmacies, how to identify drug seekers and what to do with the information.