Arrested during the roundup were Howard Hom, 57; Antonio Garcia, 35; Daniel Tellez, 54; and Debra Glidewell, 55, all of Safford; Joann Villa, 38, of Thatcher and Juan Ramirez, 53, of Pima.
Most of the suspects had five warrants each for their arrest, one warrant for each time they sold pills to a police operative. Garcia had four warrants and Tellez had three. The warrants were served by officers from the Safford Police Department, Thatcher Police Department and Graham County Sheriff's Office.
 Thatcher officer Josh McClain handcuffs alleged narcotic pill dealer Joann Villa during a warrant sweep that was the culmination of a three-month undercover operation. Villa was one of six suspects arrested in the sweep. Contributed photo |
The suspects' bonds were set at $10,000 cash for each warrant with the exception of Ramirez, who faced Justice of the Peace District Two Judge Dewey Bryce. Ramirez was given the option of a cash or paper bond. In a paper bond, defendants only need to pay 10 percent of the amount and can cover the rest with collateral. In a cash bond, defendants need to pay the entire amount of the bond.
According to Safford detective Jason Knight, the suspects were obtaining the narcotic pills legally through doctors' prescriptions and then selling them for a large profit. He said in some cases, the government or the suspect's health insurance paid for most of the prescription's cost. Dealers could then recoup their investment with the sale of a single pill.
The pills the suspects were selling were derivatives of the opioid analgesic Oxycodone. In addition to the sentencing structure for the sale of narcotics, the suspects could also face additional misdemeanor charges relating to the abuse of their prescriptions.
Knight told the Courier that prescription pill abuse has spiked in the Gila Valley to become the most widely abused drug. He said people quickly become addicted and soon resort to crushing the pills and snorting them or shooting them up like heroin. Oxycodone is basically a synthetic form of heroin, and users have told police they have switched to using Oxycodone because of the guaranteed purity and measured strength of a dose. The use has led to an increase in property crimes such as burglary and theft, according to Knight.
Oxycodone was first synthesized from thebaine – a minor constituent of opium – in 1916 by the German pharmaceutical company Bayer after it stopped the mass production of heroin due to hazardous and harmful use and dependence. Heroin was originally created as a replacement for morphine. The scientists believed a thebaine-derived drug would retain the analgesic effects of morphine and heroin with less dependence.
A time-release brand of Oxycodone called OxyContin was approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration in 1995 and became the nation's best-selling nongeneric narcotic pain reliever by 2001. By crushing the pills, users do away with the time-release aspect and essentially receive the same high they get from using heroin. In Safford, an 80mg OxyContin pill sells for $50 on the street, according to detective Knight.
According to the Drug Enforcement Agency, Oxycodone is listed as a schedule II drug. Under the Controlled Sub-stances Act, it is listed as such because, while it is accepted for medical use, it has a high potential for abuse and may lead to severe psychological or physical dependence. According to section 829 of the Controlled Substances Act, no schedule II drug prescription may be refilled. That means the users must visit a doctor and have a new prescription given each time they need to purchase more pills. Abuse of the medication can lead to serious health problems and death.
Detective Knight told the Courier the SPD's investigation is ongoing and includes the sources the dealers use to acquire their prescriptions.
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32 comment(s)cant stand racist people wrote on Dec 7, 2009 12:36 AM:
bwana wrote on Dec 6, 2009 3:13 PM:
You are an extremist nutcase. I hope you are sterile. "
beau PENDER wrote on Nov 28, 2009 10:34 AM:
Distressed wrote on Nov 28, 2009 9:10 AM:
Heres your answer wrote on Nov 27, 2009 4:42 PM:
Desiring to Know wrote on Nov 26, 2009 10:20 PM:
natalie again wrote on Nov 25, 2009 5:18 PM:
natalie talley wrote on Nov 25, 2009 5:09 PM:
natalie talley wrote on Nov 25, 2009 10:41 AM:
the children wrote on Nov 24, 2009 8:57 PM:
THANKS TO ALL THAT TOOKEM OFF THE STREETS wrote on Nov 24, 2009 8:54 PM:
wondering wrote on Nov 24, 2009 5:23 PM:
steve wrote on Nov 24, 2009 9:31 AM:
Think of the innocents involved wrote on Nov 24, 2009 1:20 AM:
Jon Johnson wrote on Nov 24, 2009 12:46 AM:
Im not even her friend but.. wrote on Nov 23, 2009 11:22 PM:
easy life wrote on Nov 23, 2009 11:02 PM:
Reality Check wrote on Nov 23, 2009 10:01 PM:
Thanks for the PD's for making the arrests but thanks to DPS for doing the legwork to get these people off the street. "
just the begining wrote on Nov 23, 2009 9:37 PM:
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Answer wrote on Nov 22, 2009 10:21 PM:
Pray for all involved wrote on Nov 22, 2009 9:42 PM:
wondering wrote on Nov 22, 2009 9:14 PM:
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Yes wrote on Nov 22, 2009 7:00 PM:
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