On August 7th,
2015, the National Association of Drug Diversion Investigators (NADDI) held
their annual conference in Annapolis, Maryland. Attendees represented law
enforcement agencies, state regulatory agencies, health
care providers, substance abuse professionals,
and healthcare fraud investigators
For the second time in recent years the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office was requested to present a successful investigative tactic they are utilizing in the battle against diversion. This included two case studies. Captain Daniel D. Alioto, Commander of the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office Vice/Narcotics Division, stated, “I was pleased to share the hard work and the successes of the Vice/Narcotics Division. To have investigative techniques and successes acknowledged by our peers, and then shared both on the State and National level is one of the best compliments a law enforcement officer can receive”. Captain Alioto was also a presenter at the NADDI National convention in St. Louis, Missouri two years ago.
A
variety of speakers presented on different topics to include Kate Jackson of
the Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP). She provided updates, training
opportunities, and facts related to the State’s PDMP. Rebecca Hogamier from the Washington County
Health Department was invited to educate the attendees on how Vivitrol was
showing successes inside correctional institutions. Ed Cartwright from Purdue Pharma, a long time
NADDI partner and the funding source of the annual NADDI Grant, reviewed lawful
prescribing and current trends in prescription medication. Detective Brandon Underhill of the Harford
County Task Force presented a case study on “Operation Bad Medicine” which gave
insight into how patience and commitment paid off during a lengthy diversion
investigation within Harford County.
“There is no silver bullet for
the growing problem of opioid abuse. Education and training programs
designed to combat prescription drug abuse are key for all stakeholders such
as, law enforcement personnel, health professionals, health care and fraud
investigators, treatment professionals and the pharmaceutical industry.
NADDI helps make this joint effort all possible”. James Schwartz, NADDI
Executive Vice President and Ocean City Police Officer.
Lt.
Governor Boyd Rutherford attended as well. He presented facts uncovered during
his statewide Heroin Task Force meetings and updated the audience on some of
the steps he believes needs to be taken to curb the current opioid crisis. The
Lt. Governor also confirmed the Heroin Task Force is still in the process of
completing their findings and recommendations, which will be forwarded to
Governor Larry Hogan in the coming months.
“Our
Maryland NADDI Chapter brought together leaders in the state concerned about
the continued epidemic of prescription abuse and diversion and the surge in
heroin overdose deaths in our communities. The networking accomplished
throughout the one-day training between law enforcement, state leaders and the
private sector is one of the most important aspects of our NADDI chapter
trainings.” Charlie Cichon, NADDI Executive Director.
The
attendees were captivated by the stories of “Erin”, a pharmaceutical student
who abused opioid pills before becoming a heroin addict and eventually serving
jail time. Former FBI Agent Matthew Lowry spoke candidly to the audience about
his addiction to pain killers for a medical condition and how that led him to
stealing heroin from evidence to support his addiction. He reports to serve his
federal prison term in a few days. Captain Alioto stated, “St. Mary’s County
held a Drug Summit not too long ago and the slogan was, ‘everyone knows
someone’, the next one should have the slogan, ‘it can happen to anyone.’
It was also announced at the conference by NADDI’s Executive Director
Charlie Cichon that St. Mary’s County was awarded a grant of $5,000 to be used
for drug diversion efforts. “I was pleased to have had the opportunity
to attend the Maryland NADDI Chapter training. NADDI remains on the cutting
edge of issues we are presently experiencing. Our partnership allows for our
detectives to remain current with the best up to date training possible”.
Sheriff Timothy K. Cameron
NADDI’s
Maryland State Chapter President Jeff Johns stated, “On behalf of the NADDI
Maryland State Chapter Board, we would like to thank everyone for your support
and participation at our regional training session in Annapolis, Maryland.
As a result of this latest regional training, we have received a
tremendous amount of positive feedback from the attendees. The subject
matter that NADDI was able to provide was diverse and I am confident that
everyone who attended was able to gain additional knowledge that they can share
with their colleagues. NADDI is committed to providing support to all of our
members. The Maryland State Chapter of NADDI will continue to grow as a
result of your continued support and the combined efforts to fight the
widespread issues of pharmaceutical diversion.”
Inquiries should be directed
to Captain Daniel D. Alioto, Commander of Vice/Narcotics, at 301-475-4200
x1918.
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| Captain Daniel Alioto |
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| Charlie Chicon and Ed Cartright |
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| Kate Jackson |
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| (pictured L-R) Captain Alioto, Lt. Governor Rutherford and Sheriff Cameron. |
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| Lt. Governor Rutherford |
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| Matthew Lowry |
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| Rebecca Hogamier |
