When people talk about drug conspiracies, they may picture hardened criminals and gang members. They think of people in rural communities manufacturing methamphetamine or organized criminal groups smuggling drugs across the border.
While career criminals do play a role in drug trafficking and manufacturing, not all drug conspiracies involve obvious criminal actors. In some cases, the parties accused of involvement in a drug-related conspiracy are productive members of society.
Licensed healthcare professionals may find themselves implicated in a drug conspiracy in some cases. When compared with other professionals, those in the medical sector may be at elevated risk of drug conspiracy charges.
Medical professionals have access to controlled substances
Nurses, pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, home health aides and physicians all have professional access to controlled substances. They can provide prescriptions, dispense medication or compound drugs in a pharmaceutical setting.
Those professional opportunities might translate to criminal activity. A doctor who writes too many prescriptions for pain relievers, stimulants or muscle relaxants might face scrutiny from law enforcement. The same is true for someone providing medication to an individual they know is likely to abuse or resell the medication.
Those dispensing medication could also be vulnerable to criminal prosecution. Accusations of providing medication to those who don't need it or diverting medication from patients could result in healthcare professionals facing charges related to a drug conspiracy. The medical professional doesn't even need to profit directly from the activity to be at risk.
In such cases, health care professionals who may have played a minimal role in overtly illegal activity could potentially face the same penalties as those who engaged in the worst conduct. Under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization Act (RICO), everyone implicated in a widespread conspiracy may face simultaneous prosecution and the same penalties.
However, the extent of a medical professional's involvement could be minimal. They might simply prescribe one patient far more medication than they could use. The state can potentially accuse someone of involvement in a drug conspiracy if they discuss illegal activity with just one other person.
Healthcare professionals facing charges related to drug conspiracies may need help exonerating themselves. Reviewing any evidence – with the help of a skilled legal team – that allegedly connects a medical professional to a drug conspiracy is the first step toward establishing a defense strategy. Healthcare professionals who fight their charges successfully can protect their freedom, reputations and ability to continue their careers.