Federal task force will investigate opioid abuse

Responding to the opioid crisis, the New England Prescription Opioid Strike Force was announced on Wednesday.

The strike force will be a joint law enforcement effort that brings together the resources and expertise of the health care fraud unit in the federal Justice Department’s criminal division fraud section, the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices for three federal districts, as well as law enforcement partners at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the FBI.

The mission of the strike force is to identify and investigate health care fraud schemes in the New England region and to prosecute those involved in the illegal distribution of prescription drugs, including opioids. The strike force will primarily target criminal conduct by physicians, pharmacists and other medical professionals, focusing on health care fraud and drug diversion offenses.

In a statement, Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite Jr. said the strike force “expands and sharpens the Justice Department’s response to the nation’s opioid epidemic.” He added that during the past year more than 75,000 people in the United States died as result of an overdose.

“Since 2018, some of the greatest spikes in the drug overdose death rate have occurred in New England. The NEPO Strike Force will help to address one of the root causes of the epidemic: unlawful prescription and diversion of opioids. Together with our partners, we will fulfill the department’s solemn promise to deploy critical resources to address the opioid crisis,” Polite said.

U.S. Attorney for Vermont Nikolas Kerest, who was part of the strike force announcement in Concord, New Hampshire, on Wednesday, said in a statement that it “demonstrates the Department of Justice’s commitment to working with our law enforcement partners in Vermont and elsewhere to hold accountable health care providers who exploit the opioid epidemic for personal gain.”

“Health care providers who issue illegal opioid prescriptions undermine important efforts to address the epidemic while putting patients at risk of overdose and physical harm,” he said.

The strike force will operate as a partnership between prosecutors and data analysts with the Health Care Fraud Unit, prosecutors with the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices in New Hampshire, Maine, and Vermont, and special agents with the inspector general’s office from Health and Human Services, DEA and the FBI. It will operate out of the Concord, New Hampshire, area.

The strike force also will work closely with other federal and state law enforcement agencies, including the state Medicaid fraud control units.

Those looking for information about treatment in Vermont may call 211. To speak to someone about substance use resources including treatment options, call VT Helplink 802-565-LINK, which may be reached toll free at 833-565-LINK, or go to the website at VTHelplink.org. Information about Vermont Alcohol and Abuse Programs is available at 802-651-1550.

All information and referral services are free and confidential.

patrick.mcardle @rutlandherald.com