May 17, 2007
By: Jason Bergreen
The Salt Lake Tribune (UT)
Authorities arrested a 60-year-old Murray doctor Wednesday afternoon for allegedly prescribing as many as 5 million doses of painkillers, making his arrest the largest bust ever connected to controlled substance distribution in Utah.
Warren R. Stack, who was licensed as a physician and surgeon, was arrested amid dozens of patients Wednesday when Salt Lake County Sheriff's Office and other agencies issued a search warrant about 1 p.m. at his office at 5005 S. 900 East.
"Our investigators are stunned by the volume of drugs allegedly prescribed," said sheriff's Lt. Paul Jaroscak. "This is the largest we have ever, ever heard of."
Dozens of patients were at Stack's office when police arrived.
"There was standing room only in the waiting room and people were standing outside," Jaroscak said. "As we arrived, they left."
Investigators watching the street said people in cars hoping to fill prescriptions continued to arrive at Stack's office during the search.
"We watched as other cars pulled up, did U-turns and left," Jaroscak said. Sheriff's investigators began looking into Stack's drug distribution practices a year ago after detectives began receiving information from informants. Several reports also were made related to some of Stack's patients overdosing, Jaroscak said. "It appeared to us he seemed to be a well-known source of prescription painkillers," Jaroscak said.
Undercover drug officers with the Sheriff's Office division in Cottonwood Heights made several "appointments" with Stack and were able to obtain prescriptions for painkillers.
"My detectives went in and got prescriptions by just cold calling him," said Cottonwood Heights Chief of Police Robby Russo.
Jaroscak said Stack was distributing about half a dozen types of pain medication including, Oxycodone, OxyContin, Xanax, methadone and about 3.5 million doses of Hydrocodone.
Police believe a lot of these drugs were being sold illegally throughout the Salt Lake Valley.
"We've arrested people on the street who have been getting prescriptions from Stack," said Russo.
The Utah Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing (DOPL) and Medicaid's fraud unit were able to track Stack's prescription Drug Enforcement Administration number and history to 2001 to determine how many doses he had issued, Russo said.
Jaroscak said this bust was at least 10 times bigger than any other bust he had heard of. Russo said it is the largest distribution bust he has seen in his 23 years in law enforcement.
"It's nothing short of staggering," he said.
Before Stack's arrest, the largest controlled substance drug bust either men could recall involved a Utah doctor who had allegedly prescribed about 73,000 doses.
"Our concern [in Stack's case] is the sheer amount," Jaroscak said.
A search of the DOPL Web site showed no disciplinary action had been taken against Stack in the past.
Stack was booked into the Salt Lake County jail just before 5:30 p.m. Wednesday on suspicion of several counts of controlled substance distribution and offering to arrange or agreeing to distribute controlled substances.
Jaroscak said the Utah Attorney General's Office, DOPL, the Drug Enforcement Agency and and the FBI assisted in the investigation.
The A.G.'s office directed the sheriff's office not to release the 15-page search warrant and affidavit until it is filed in court, which could be as early as today.
Additional charges may be filed against Stack once prosecutors screen the case. "This is the tip of the iceberg," Jaroscak said.
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