MIRAMAR, FLA. (WSVN) - A South Florida pharmacy has been raided by federal agents after having been suspected of being a pill mill.
On Tuesday, federal agents were seen arriving at the Healthplus Pharmacy in Miramar around 10 a.m.
Neighboring business owners said the agents were serving a warrant to the pharmacy.
Agents from the Drug Enforcement Administration and Department of Health and Human Services spent about four hours raiding the business, according to a witness.
The news agency Reuters reported that investigators were trying to determine whether the pharmacy is part of what could be the largest pill mill in Florida, focusing on Oxycontin.
“And I see they was taking a couple boxes from those people,” said Ariel Madruga, a neighboring business owner. “They have been there for many years so really surprised.”
A pill mill is an illegal operation in which addictive painkillers are prescribed for non-medical reasons resulting in some pill distributions being sold on the streets.
The opioid epidemic has caused an estimated 618,000 deaths between 1999 to 2021. Florida has long been an epicenter for pill mills.
According to Reuters, Tuesday’s investigation also led to agents investigating the homes of the pharmacy owners.
At this time, there is no information on whether any arrests have been made.
The pharmacy remained open as of Tuesday afternoon.
7News asked two men who were inside the pharmacy for a comment, but they declined.
A federal spokesperson has since confirmed that the pharmacy is a target to an investigation across several agencies.
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