Owners of Pace Pharmacy arrested on pill mill, drug trafficking allegations
The two owners and an employee of a Pace pharmacy were arrested May 14 on prescription drug trafficking charges, according to a Florida Department of Law Enforcement news release.
Pace Pharmacy pharmacists Stephen Allen Burklow and David Barron Winkles, along with pharmacy office manager Monique Burklow, the were the subject of a multi-year, multi-agency investigation led by FDLE.
They are charged with conspiring to traffic prescription drugs including trafficking over 22 kilograms (48 pounds) of oxycodone, over 26 kilograms (57 pounds) of hydrocodone and just shy of one kilogram of hydromorphone, according to FDLE. The Burklows are the owners of Pace Pharmacy LLC.
FDLE's investigation began in December 2020, after learning that a local obstetrician-gynecologist, later identified as Dr. Elaine Sharp, was writing an excessive amount of controlled substance prescriptions and recommending her patients fill the prescriptions at Pace Pharmacy. During this same time, FDLE was working jointly with multiple state, local and federal agencies to investigate numerous allegations of a pill mill operation in the area.
Who is Elaine Sharp? Gulf Breeze doctor allegedly prescribed over 400K oxycodone, laundered over $1M in profits
Agents say the Burklows and Winkles accepted and dispensed illicit prescriptions (including oxycodone, hydromorphone and hydrocodone) outside the course of professional practice and not intended for medical purpose or need. Additionally, Stephen Burklow, through the Pace Pharmacy, allegedly billed multiple insurance companies, using various physicians' National Provider Identifier (NPI) numbers without their knowledge or consent to do so, for prescriptions that may or may not have been provided to patients.
The trio were arrested without incident and booked into the Santa Rosa County Jail.
Stephen Burklow, 54, of Pace, was arrested on conspiracy to traffic oxycodone, conspiracy to traffic hydrocodone, conspiracy to traffic hydromorphone, conspiracy to commit racketeering, conspiracy to commit money laundering, conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud and five counts of identity theft.
Winkles, 69, of Pace, was arrested on conspiracy to traffic schedule II-controlled substances and conspiracy to commit racketeering.
Monique Burklow, 58, of Pace, was arrested on conspiracy to commit racketeering, conspiracy to commit money laundering and conspiracy to sell controlled substances.
The investigation was led by FDLE with assistance from the Santa Rosa County Sheriff's Office, the Florida Department of Health, the Florida Highway Patrol, the Florida Department of Financial Services, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and Homeland Security Investigations.
The cases will be prosecuted by the Office of the State Attorney, First Judicial Circuit, and the investigation remains active.
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Stephen Burklow Monique Burklow of Pace Pharmacy face pill mill arrest
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