Authorities say more than 70,000 pills obtained
Twelve arrests have been made in connection with a St. Charles Parish-based organization that was executing a prescription fraud scheme across the New Orleans metro area, according to authorities.
The St. Charles Parish Sheriff’s Office, Louisiana State Troopers, the St. Tammany Sheriff’s Office and the DEA joined to conduct the investigation, which initially began in June 2009. As a result, it was learned that 70,235 dosage units of a multitude of prescription drugs were fraudulently obtained, according to authorities.
Those drugs included methadone, oxycodone, alprazolam, hydro-codone, carisopridol and morphine sulphate.
Not one of the arrested suspects lived in St. Charles Parish, but the drugs were obtained from Destrehan Pharmacy, according to the Sheriff’s Office. The group forged the prescriptions using a doctor’s name who no longer practices in Louisiana.
According to Sgt. Dwayne LaGrange with the St. Charles Sheriff’s Office, the suspects were also selling the drugs in St. Charles Parish.
“This is one of the areas that they attempted to set up shop where they can sell these prescriptions at the street level,” LaGrange said.
The Sheriff’s Office is still investigating, and is looking for any other people who might be connected to the case, LaGrange said.
“We’re going to continue to investigate this matter until we can make sure that no one else is involved,” LaGrange said.
The pharmacy will not be in any legal trouble, LaGrange said. In fact, he said pharmacy workers were the ones who brought the problem to the police’s attention.
Those arrested include:
•John Cassisa (W/M, age 39) of Slidell, charged with 41 counts of Obtaining Controlled Dangerous Substances and 319 counts of Conspiracy to Obtain Controlled Dangerous Substances
•Laura Cassisa (W/F, age 24) of Slidell, charged with 39 counts of Obtaining Controlled Dangerous Substances and 219 counts of Conspiracy to Obtain Controlled Dangerous Substances
•Christopher Klingbeil (W/M, age 33) of Slidell, charged with 89 counts of Obtaining Controlled Dangerous Substances and 219 counts of Conspiracy to Obtain Controlled Dangerous Substances
•Dillon Sanders (W/M, age 27) of Slidell, charged with 28 counts of Obtaining Controlled Dangerous Substances
•Paul Ray Dusek (W/M, age 29) of Slidell, charged with 25 counts of Obtaining Controlled Dangerous Substances
•Russell Picou Jr. (W/M, age 28) of Slidell, charged with 17 counts of Obtaining Controlled Dangerous Substances
•Randy Pretlove Jr. (W/M, age 27) of Slidell, charged with 6 counts of Obtaining Controlled Dangerous Substances
•Jeremy Couste (W/M, age 23) of Slidell, Charged with 17 counts of Obtaining Controlled Dangerous Substances
•James Dauenhauer (W/M, age 35) of Marrero, charged with 9 counts of Obtaining Controlled Dangerous Substances
•Henry Myers (W/M, age 49) of Kenner, charged with 4 counts of Obtaining Controlled Dangerous Substances
•Blake Barre (W/M, age 24) of Madisonville, charged with 27 counts of Obtaining Controlled Dangerous Substances
•Bobby Perniciaro (W/M, age 34) of Marrero, charged with 8 counts of Obtaining Controlled Dangerous Substances
Authorities are still searching for three additional suspects — 27-year-old Jason Ness, of Westwego, 34-year-old Dwayne Knight, of Gretna and 54-year-old Linda Martin, of Lumberton, Miss.
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