Detroit health clinic owner accused of running "pill mill"
(CBS DETROIT) - The owner of a Detroit health clinic is charged for allegedly running a "pill mill" in the clinic, the Michigan Attorney General's office announced.
Salahuddin Ahmad, 69, of West Bloomfield, is charged with one count of conducting a criminal enterprise, two counts of controlled substance delivery/manufacture of less than 50 grams, and felony firearm.
One of Ahmad's employees also received the same charges for their role. Two other workers were charged with one count of controlling a criminal enterprise and two counts of controlled substance delivery.
An investigation by Michigan State Police revealed the Managing Health Pain Clinic on Eight Mile Road allegedly prescribed "norcos" -- which contained hydrocodone and acetaminophen -- to patients without physical evaluations. The clinic accepted cash and sent the prescription to be filled at local pharmacies.
"The over-proliferation of pain pills continues to exacerbate the opioid crisis plaguing our state and nation," Attorney General Dana Nessel said in a statement. "Flooding the streets with pain pills and ignoring prescription protocol, to churn a fast and steady profit, is not a business model — it's a criminal enterprise, and one we will prosecute to the fullest extent of the law. We cannot allow these pill mills to continue to illegally operate and prey on people who need addiction services, not easier access to drugs."
A probable cause conference is scheduled for Ahmad on April 9 and a preliminary examination on April 16.
