Sheriff's Office Closes Brandon Pill Mill

A pain clinic in Brandon was one of seven closed for illegally dispensing pain medications.

During Operation Pain Reliever, the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office closed Sunstate Medical, at 601 W. Robertson St., for operating an unlicensed pain clinic.

According to the sheriff's office, the clinic was attracting out-of-state visitors seeking oxycodone and other illegally prescribed pain medications to use or resell.  

Bloomingdale Community Resource Deputy Curtis Warren said a single Oxycodone pill sells for about $20 on the streets.

The sheriff’s office says the so-called pill mills distribute hydrocodone pills by the thousands.

Hillsborough County Code Enforcement Deputy Jonathan Williams said they were alerted to the Robertson Street clinic because of the sheer numbers of cars it was attracting.

“Undercover District II detectives were tipped off by all the out-of-state tags in the parking lot, mostly from Kentucky. Code enforcement, which is tasked with enforcing the county’s ordinance regarding the licensing of pain clinics, found they were in violation of county ordinance and went out and tagged the place,” said Williams.

Law enforcement also closed Plant City Poly Clinic, at 404 Alexander St., Plant City;J.W. Wellness, at 2630 W. Waters Ave., Tampa; NBC Medical Center, at 7402 N. 56th St., Temple Terrace; Tampa Total Health, at 3824 W. Sligh Ave., Tampa; and 1st Medical Group, at 7200 Sheldon Road, Carrollwood.

The clinics were closed by the sheriff’s office, the Florida Department of Health, Hillsborough County Consumer Protection and Hillsborough Code Enforcement.

The closures stemmed from a July 2010 “Pain Management Ordinance” that the Hillsborough County Commissioners passed to address what has been called a pain pill epidemic.

“Sheriff’s office deputies continue to target the illegal pain pill market in the county,” according to the sheriff’s report. “The sheriff’s office is concentarting on the illegal pain pill market to reduce the number of fatal overdoses occurring in the Tampa Bay area by pushing for enhanced legislation to regulate pain clinics to aggressive enforcement, such as Operation Pain Reliever.”

As part of that operation, more than 85 people have been arrestedon charges ranging from trafficking in controlled substances to doctor shopping.