FBI Thanks Jefferson County Sheriff For Department’s Work In Pill Mill Bust

Jefferson County Sheriff McCoig and his department were recognized by the Federal Bureau of Investigation for their part in taking down a large pill mill operation in Knox and surrounding counties.

Sheriff McCoig stated that his department is a part of a cooperative drug task force that works with both federal and state agencies, as well as other county departments, in an effort to control the illegal drug market in Tennessee. The Sheriff stated that pill mills have become a real problem and those that used to travel out of state to get their pills are now looking closer to home. The most recent case being that of Sylvia Hoffstetter of Knoxville, who was indited for “conspiring with other pain clinic operators or sponsors of pill shopping organizations to distribute oxycodone and launder proceeds generated by those clinics.”

Apparently, the reach of Hoffstetter’s operation reaches even into Jefferson County, where Sheriff McCoig says he is in the process of picking up and locating individuals. Though this cooperative action is not new, the Sheriff said that it is one of the largest and required a tremendous amount of manpower and hours. McCoig says that drugs are a huge problem, not only locally, but across the state and it crosses all demographics. Sheriff McCoig stated “ Everyone is susceptible. The goal is to get people clean, monitor them and help them stay clean. There are lots of ways to manage pain and we want to keep people from doctor shopping for pills.”

The investigation is ongoing and will likely encompass multiple individualizes before it is completed.