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♪ ♪
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TRAFFICKER: These just arrived
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20,000 pills
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M30 pills
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TRAFFICKER 2: M30s are in demand
right now in the United States
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M30 was originally
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oxycodone
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We tried getting the
M30s from pharmacies
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but it was difficult
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The cartel thought,
let's make them ourselves
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Let's add fentanyl
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It hits you hard and
it's more effective
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So now we're doing
it with fentanyl
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TRAFFICKER: Let's get to work
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This secret compartment
is perfect for M30 pills
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Here the pills cost 75
cents for each pill
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In the U.S. they're
paying $4 a pill
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So they'll pay $80,000
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It is a perfect business
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But it's a very strong drug
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It is a drug that kills
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This drug is going to
Los Angeles, California
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TRAFFICKER 2: The United States
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They got their own
people hooked on this
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Their medical system
created the oxycodone boom
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They started this
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MAN (over TV): Shake
this square world and
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blast off for Kicksville.
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NIXON: America's public enemy
number one is drug abuse.
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MAN: Heroin
destroys everything.
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MAN: Prescribing pain pills
created huge numbers of addicts.
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CROWD: People die, Sacklers lie.
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MAN: Opium is cash.
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It's like you're
growing bills on the bush.
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MAN: Crime and drug
abuse go hand in hand.
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It's like peanut
butter and jelly.
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HARRIS: There's now an
understanding that the
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war on drugs was
an abject failure.
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MAN: You have to stop and ask
yourself, how did we get here?
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TINA: Jonathan was really a
fun kid, loving, generous.
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He had a lot of friends.
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He was very sociable.
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My name is Tina Reed and my
son was an oxycodone addict.
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We have such good memories of
Jonathan, until one morning
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I go in his room and he's
sitting at the edge of the bed
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and he had his hands on the
dresser covering something and
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he had a bill rolled
up behind his ear.
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"What is that, are
you snorting cocaine?
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What are you doing?"
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And then I moved his hands and
what was there was blue powder
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and he said, "it's my
pain pills, mom"
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and then he brushed me off,
like no big deal.
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He was so clueless
that he was going to die.
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He was clueless.
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It was sad, very, very sad.
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I saw the pill, I looked
at the bottle and the
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first thing it says is
South Florida Pain Clinic
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on Oakland Park Boulevard.
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The owners, Chris George and
his brother, they're the ones
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who really took advantage
of so many people,
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really, they took so, so
many lives away and
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just created an
epidemic of pain.
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CHRIS: I think having a twin brother
made me a competitive person.
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Jeff really helped, you know,
push myself to be the best
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I could be.
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My name is Chris George
and I was the owner of
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{\an8}South Florida Pain
and American Pain,
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{\an8}the largest pain
clinic in the world.
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Growing up in South Florida,
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we were a little bit
crazy growing up.
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We had a lot of parties,
we worked out.
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We were probably known as,
you know, some of the
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worst people in the area just
'cause we would do stupid things
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and cause problems.
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It wasn't too serious of stuff but,
you know, we stood out a lot.
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I was always trying to
make money growing up and
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wanted to start a business.
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Since our senior year
in high school,
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me and my brother
were taking steroids.
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I wanted to find out a way to
do it legally and that's why
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I started getting them
prescribed by a doctor.
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He was a young doctor, he was
pretty laid back and it seemed
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like he would do anything and
he was the one that came up
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with the idea to
do the pain clinic.
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It didn't seem like there
was anything wrong with it.
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I didn't know what
oxycodone even was.
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He was gonna see the patients
and prescribe pain medication
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to people that are in pain.
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I was just gonna
run the business.
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But we ran the numbers
and it was like, yeah,
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it didn't seem that great.
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But in business, you
gotta take risks and we did.
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It was a regular
doctor's office.
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I just prescribed medication to
help people that were in pain.
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No physical therapy, no
injections or anything else.
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But I didn't know anything about
running a medical office.
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Derik Nolan was one
of my best friends.
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I gave him a call, I said
"hey you wanna work here?"
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DERIK: You know, I'd done
construction my whole life.
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I honestly didn't even
know what a pain clinic was.
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Obviously, we wanted to
make this thing legit
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as we possibly can.
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We called the DEA, we called
the health department,
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we called everybody.
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There was nothing on the
books on what to do
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to open up a pain clinic.
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All you had to have
was a DEA's license.
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So, we would order the drugs
under the doctor's license and
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they would go in the safe,
which seems kind of crazy
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but it's America.
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I didn't really know
anything about the pain pills.
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On my first day or two there,
it was all coming into
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perspective for me and I was
like I wonder what exactly
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we've stumbled into here?
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CHRIS: We only took cash, but
otherwise you could be just
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over 18 and no documentation
and you can get medication and
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you're pretty much getting
240 pills every time of the
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oxycodone 30 milligram pill.
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{\an8}ANDREW: When we talk about
oxycodone, we are essentially
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{\an8}talking about a heroin pill.
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Oxycodone had been on the
market in the US for decades,
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for patients at the end
of life with cancer pain.
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In 1996, the pharmaceutical
company Purdue Pharma wanted
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to turn this old generic
drug into a blockbuster.
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{\an8}So, Purdue launches a
brilliant, multifaceted
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{\an8}marketing campaign
disguised as education.
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{\an8}WOMAN (over TV): The undertreatment
of pain is a major public health problem.
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{\an8}ANDREW: They repackaged
oxycodone for common
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long term chronic pain,
like back pain.
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{\an8}Oxycontin is the cure.
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{\an8}ALAN: We now find that these
medicines are much safer,
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{\an8}much more powerful, much more
versatile than we used to think
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{\an8}and we feel that they should be
used much more liberally
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{\an8}for people with
all sorts of chronic pain.
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{\an8}SAM: Purdue marketed oxycontin
with the claim that it's
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{\an8}virtually non addictive
when used to treat pain.
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{\an8}MAN: Less than 1% of patients
taking opioids actually become addicted.
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SAM: This claim became gospel,
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and that proved
completely untrue.
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CHRIS: Little did I know,
there were a lot more people
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in pain than I
thought there was.
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At least they said they were.
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(door dings)
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(cash register noise)
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It grew at an exponential rate,
way faster than anyone
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knew it was gonna grow.
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DERIK: I mean, it seemed like
overnight it went from
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ten to 20 patients a day,
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to 30 to 60 to 120
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CHRIS: And within six months
we were bringing in at least
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$50,000 or $60,0000 every day.
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When we got to work, there was
a line around the building of
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people waiting and we were
working until 11:00 at night.
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So, I needed more doctors.
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(phone dialing)
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(dial-up connecting)
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When you look online, there's
all these headhunter services
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that you can find doctors from
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but they charge a
ton of money for it.
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So, we just said, you know
what, let's just try hiring
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a doctor from Craigslist.
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DERIK: Craigslist, where
you buy a new couch
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or an escort if you like.
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CHRIS: We just mentioned that
the hours are Monday to Friday
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9:00 to 5:00 and the pay
ranges from, you know,
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a couple of thousand a week
to 10,000 or 20,000 a week.
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We got great results from it.
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DERIK: Emergency room doctors.
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We had an eye doctor,
family medicine,
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multiple plastic surgeons.
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As long as you had a DEA
license to write a script,
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you could work.
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CHRIS: Within the first six
months we had three to four
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doctors working
at that office.
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TINA: I always
trusted doctors.
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You go to your
doctor for help.
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You trust their decision.
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These are highly educated
medical professionals,
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but my son was not in pain.
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Dr Enock Joseph was the
doctor whose name was on
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the prescription bottle from
South Florida Pain Clinic
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and when I looked up
Dr Enock Joseph,
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he was a gynecologist.
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A gynecologist prescribing
pain pills to my son.
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I don't think so.
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JONATHAN: The feeling is
really complete euphoria.
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Your whole body tingling.
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It being a synthetic heroin,
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I would feel sick if
I didn't have the pill.
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I would not eat, not sleep and
it would just go on and on.
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The only release I could
get would be my next pill.
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My name's JD.
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I was an opioid addict for
many years and also a customer
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of Chris George's pain clinic.
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(phone ringing)
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Around 2007, I was working
in a telemarketing office.
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People were kind of just
taking drugs because it's
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a very repetitive
miserable thing.
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Most of the people in there
were doing cocaine,
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doing crack and pills.
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People would fight in
the middle of the office.
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It was, I mean if you've
seen Wolf of Wall Street,
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it's a lot like that, with a
little bit less money.
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So, it was just there
and I was like hey,
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let me try one of those.
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That was my first
real entry into opioids.
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The friends that you
have, they give tips.
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Tell your doctor that your
knee hurts a whole lot and the
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good thing about pain, no
one in the world can say,
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yes you're in pain or
no you're not in pain.
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So, I had that doctor I
kept going to, but being
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a good doctor I get the
medication in small quantities.
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That was barely
enough to get me through.
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So, I had to find more ways
to get pills and that's what
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led us to the pain clinics.
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(snorting)
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(car starts)
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The first time I went to the
South Florida Pain Clinic,
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I can remember pulling up
in my Honda Civic and
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seeing a line of people outside
half comatose, nodding out.
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Wow, where, where am I at?
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This has got to be illegal.
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So, I'm nervous.
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I walk in there and
it's business as usual.
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The lady at the desk
was taking the money.
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Then you had to
fill out a form.
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You see the doctor.
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"So, what's going on?"
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"Oh, I have a
pain in my knee."
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I think he grabbed my
knee while I moved my leg.
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"Oh, that hurts horribly."
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You know, a complete lie
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and you walk out with
your prescription
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for 320 Oxycodone
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and then I was told,
as I'm walking out the door,
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"if you want, I can
fill them right here."
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"All right."
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So, I guess this
is a one stop shop.
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I go to my car,
crush up two pills
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and snort in the parking lot.
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It was extremely obvious that
they were trying to sell
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as many pills as possible to
as many people as possible.
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MAN (over TV): Oxycontin has quickly
become one of the best-selling
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brand name drugs in the world.
245
00:16:11,080 --> 00:16:14,440
WOMAN (over TV): Oxycodone
is the primary ingredient in Oxycontin.
246
00:16:14,440 --> 00:16:16,840
Prescriptions for the
synthetic morphine has risen
247
00:16:16,840 --> 00:16:20,520
from around 300,000 to
nearly six million.
248
00:16:21,400 --> 00:16:24,280
MAN: It's unusual to see a
controlled substance be
249
00:16:24,280 --> 00:16:26,920
so aggressively marketed.
250
00:16:26,920 --> 00:16:28,960
WOMAN: Many wonder if
this media blitz and
251
00:16:28,960 --> 00:16:31,880
liberal dispensing of
Oxycontin are contributing
252
00:16:31,880 --> 00:16:35,520
to the epidemic of abuse that's
spreading across the country.
253
00:16:36,360 --> 00:16:39,040
SAM: When patients begin to
display symptoms of addiction,
254
00:16:39,040 --> 00:16:42,480
{\an8}a fellow at Purdue Pharma coins
the term pseudo addiction.
255
00:16:43,720 --> 00:16:46,320
{\an8}ALAN: Pseudo addiction
is a fairly new term,
256
00:16:46,320 --> 00:16:51,080
{\an8}when a patient is looking
like a drug addict because
257
00:16:51,080 --> 00:16:53,520
{\an8}they're pursuing pain relief.
258
00:16:53,520 --> 00:16:57,600
{\an8}So, pseudo addiction is
relief seeking behavior
259
00:16:57,600 --> 00:17:00,440
{\an8}mistaken as drug addiction.
260
00:17:02,040 --> 00:17:05,120
{\an8}ANDREW: The problem wasn't the
patient was getting addicted.
261
00:17:05,120 --> 00:17:09,440
{\an8}The problem is you doctor,
you're not giving them
262
00:17:09,440 --> 00:17:12,520
{\an8}a high enough dose.
263
00:17:13,640 --> 00:17:15,480
SAM: Which sounds to me
a little bit like what
264
00:17:15,480 --> 00:17:18,200
a drug dealer might say.
265
00:17:18,200 --> 00:17:21,960
It's a magnificent, highly
profitable business model,
266
00:17:21,960 --> 00:17:25,960
practiced on the street and then
practiced at Purdue Pharma.
267
00:17:42,000 --> 00:17:46,080
TINA: Opioid addiction, it
really tears families apart.
268
00:17:47,680 --> 00:17:51,560
{\an8}Jonathan became a different
person when he was high.
269
00:17:51,560 --> 00:17:53,280
You couldn't understand him.
270
00:17:53,280 --> 00:17:55,560
He couldn't walk.
271
00:17:55,560 --> 00:17:57,760
It's not your loved one.
272
00:17:57,760 --> 00:18:02,840
They're in there somewhere,
but it's like gone.
273
00:18:03,480 --> 00:18:07,640
It's something changes,
even in their eyes.
274
00:18:09,960 --> 00:18:13,080
I knew I had to do
something about it.
275
00:18:13,880 --> 00:18:17,520
WOMAN: Always on the case
and usually on someone's tail.
276
00:18:17,520 --> 00:18:19,520
CARMEL: I'm Carmel Cafiero
from Channel 7.
277
00:18:19,520 --> 00:18:21,880
Can you tell me who
is in charge here?
278
00:18:21,880 --> 00:18:24,520
TINA: Carmel Cafiero
was one of the best.
279
00:18:24,520 --> 00:18:27,720
CARMEL: Look, these people
say, don't put that in my face, mister.
280
00:18:27,720 --> 00:18:30,400
TINA: I think I might even still
have the letter I wrote her.
281
00:18:31,560 --> 00:18:33,960
CARMEL: I'll never
forget Tina.
282
00:18:33,960 --> 00:18:37,200
She is one of the
bravest moms I've ever met.
283
00:18:38,720 --> 00:18:39,880
I'm Carmel Cafiero.
284
00:18:39,880 --> 00:18:43,680
I was an investigative reporter
for close to 50 years.
285
00:18:45,160 --> 00:18:48,920
When the tip came in, we
went by the pain clinic
286
00:18:48,920 --> 00:18:51,280
in an undercover van.
287
00:18:51,280 --> 00:18:54,680
People were getting pills
and going out into the
288
00:18:54,680 --> 00:19:00,320
parking lots and snorting
the pills and shooting up.
289
00:19:01,920 --> 00:19:05,760
Nobody was really aware
of what was going on.
290
00:19:07,360 --> 00:19:11,520
Chris George was running a
place where he prescribed
291
00:19:11,520 --> 00:19:14,840
to everybody who showed up.
292
00:19:16,080 --> 00:19:18,680
So I decided to confront him.
293
00:19:22,320 --> 00:19:25,480
{\an8}DERIK: We're opening up and
she popped out of the bushes.
294
00:19:25,480 --> 00:19:26,680
CARMEL: Morning, Mr. George?
295
00:19:26,680 --> 00:19:30,040
Christopher George legally
operates the busy Pain Clinic.
296
00:19:30,040 --> 00:19:32,960
We have pictures of people
snorting, shooting up in
297
00:19:32,960 --> 00:19:35,760
this parking lot after
coming out of your clinic.
298
00:19:35,760 --> 00:19:38,760
I mean, what do you have to say
about what's going on here?
299
00:19:38,760 --> 00:19:41,120
CHRIS: I don't
believe you're right.
300
00:19:42,200 --> 00:19:44,960
CARMEL: That's all
you have to say?
301
00:19:44,960 --> 00:19:46,920
{\an8}CHRIS: I just told her she
was wrong and I walked away
302
00:19:46,920 --> 00:19:50,320
{\an8}because she doesn't know
who that person was,
303
00:19:50,320 --> 00:19:52,040
she doesn't know they're
a patient of mine.
304
00:19:52,040 --> 00:19:54,920
Most likely they were and, you
know, she's just speculating,
305
00:19:54,920 --> 00:19:57,600
and I don't really care.
306
00:19:57,600 --> 00:19:59,080
CARMEL: Good morning.
307
00:19:59,080 --> 00:20:01,880
We wanted to talk to the doctor
working at this pain clinic.
308
00:20:01,880 --> 00:20:05,120
According to state records,
Dr Enock Joseph is certified
309
00:20:05,120 --> 00:20:08,200
in obstetrics and gynecology.
310
00:20:09,440 --> 00:20:11,920
{\an8}DERIK: When the doctor's
pulled up, we kinda looked at each other
311
00:20:11,920 --> 00:20:14,720
{\an8}and Chris was like,
"go out there and get him."
312
00:20:15,240 --> 00:20:17,600
CARMEL: Are you
certified in pain management?
313
00:20:17,600 --> 00:20:21,360
He would not answer questions
about his pain clinic practice.
314
00:20:21,760 --> 00:20:24,840
It really made me angry.
315
00:20:24,840 --> 00:20:27,200
But what they were
doing was legal because
316
00:20:27,200 --> 00:20:30,960
doctors were writing
prescriptions for the pills.
317
00:20:34,080 --> 00:20:35,880
DERIK: Whatever, you wanna
make me look like a fool,
318
00:20:35,880 --> 00:20:39,160
you can do that but I'm
not breaking any laws,
319
00:20:39,160 --> 00:20:41,960
so I don't care.
320
00:20:41,960 --> 00:20:44,840
CHRIS: Whether people like
it or not, doesn't matter.
321
00:20:44,840 --> 00:20:48,120
Their opinions don't make it
illegal and them not liking
322
00:20:48,120 --> 00:20:51,680
this business
doesn't make it illegal.
323
00:20:52,360 --> 00:20:55,240
I know some people did abuse
the medication, some are gonna
324
00:20:55,240 --> 00:21:00,120
be drug addicts, whether it's
1% or 80% or whatever it is,
325
00:21:00,120 --> 00:21:03,080
there's always gonna
be that percentage.
326
00:21:04,040 --> 00:21:06,440
DERIK: Did I know there was
drug addicts and junkies and
327
00:21:06,440 --> 00:21:09,440
all that kind of stuff?
328
00:21:09,440 --> 00:21:12,160
Absolutely.
329
00:21:12,160 --> 00:21:14,880
I don't think anybody
really took them orally,
330
00:21:14,880 --> 00:21:17,760
as prescribed.
331
00:21:17,760 --> 00:21:21,040
I wouldn't even go into
the patient bathrooms.
332
00:21:21,040 --> 00:21:25,040
They put the needle in
and they pull it out and the blood spurts.
333
00:21:26,800 --> 00:21:29,400
You got these blood spurts on
the walls, on the toilets,
334
00:21:29,400 --> 00:21:31,880
on the floor, they're
all over the place.
335
00:21:31,880 --> 00:21:35,720
To be honest, I
came kinda numb to it.
336
00:21:41,320 --> 00:21:43,120
CHRIS: The way the business
was growing, we probably
337
00:21:43,120 --> 00:21:46,240
maxed out at about
150 patients a day.
338
00:21:54,280 --> 00:21:57,680
DERIK: I mean I'm
not a terrible person.
339
00:21:57,680 --> 00:22:03,040
So, there was, I started to
see the moral issue of what
340
00:22:03,040 --> 00:22:04,600
was happening here.
341
00:22:04,600 --> 00:22:08,360
We were like, we're basically
legal drug dealers,
342
00:22:08,360 --> 00:22:10,440
you know what I mean.
343
00:22:11,040 --> 00:22:13,320
It was like the Wild West.
344
00:22:13,320 --> 00:22:17,160
We could do whatever we wanted
basically and then people were
345
00:22:17,160 --> 00:22:21,120
coming in from Kentucky,
Tennessee, all over the place,
346
00:22:21,120 --> 00:22:25,760
and it really got out of hand.
347
00:22:30,680 --> 00:22:33,720
SAM: Appalachia has
historically been one of the
348
00:22:33,720 --> 00:22:36,640
poorest regions in America.
349
00:22:37,320 --> 00:22:38,680
Kentucky, West Virginia,
350
00:22:38,680 --> 00:22:41,440
southern Ohio,
eastern Tennessee.
351
00:22:41,440 --> 00:22:43,160
The work is very hard.
352
00:22:43,160 --> 00:22:45,760
It's industrial or
its mining work.
353
00:22:45,760 --> 00:22:49,680
{\an8}There's a lot of pain,
economic and physical pain
354
00:22:49,680 --> 00:22:52,560
{\an8}in that region goes
back a lot of decades.
355
00:22:54,800 --> 00:22:58,360
Purdue started targeting
Appalachian states,
356
00:22:58,360 --> 00:23:02,120
and so there's this sales force
unleashed with this mandate to
357
00:23:02,120 --> 00:23:05,560
go out and relentlessly,
relentlessly visit doctors,
358
00:23:05,560 --> 00:23:09,800
get in their face, to sell a
narcotic, as if it's almost an
359
00:23:09,800 --> 00:23:14,440
over-the-counter medicine
and that idea then spread and
360
00:23:14,440 --> 00:23:18,320
became part of medicine in the
rest of America after that.
361
00:23:20,520 --> 00:23:23,320
At the very moment when we are
creating a large and growing
362
00:23:23,320 --> 00:23:28,440
population of opioid addicted
Americans, the truth began to
363
00:23:28,440 --> 00:23:31,040
come out into the public.
364
00:23:33,560 --> 00:23:35,160
JENNINGS: There is a
prescription painkiller in the
365
00:23:35,160 --> 00:23:37,640
news today for all
the wrong reasons.
366
00:23:37,640 --> 00:23:40,840
Oxycontin is a best
seller as drugs go and
367
00:23:40,840 --> 00:23:42,600
many patients swear by it.
368
00:23:42,600 --> 00:23:45,000
{\an8}But it turns out to
be fiercely addictive.
369
00:23:45,000 --> 00:23:47,560
{\an8}LORRAINE: Treat it as
if it was a loaded gun.
370
00:23:48,160 --> 00:23:49,880
WILLIAMS: A startling
admission today.
371
00:23:49,880 --> 00:23:52,720
Oxycontin, which was once
marketed as something of a
372
00:23:52,720 --> 00:23:55,480
wonder drug, one that could
stop pain without getting
373
00:23:55,480 --> 00:23:57,320
patients addicted.
374
00:23:57,320 --> 00:24:00,880
It turns out that was a
lie and a deliberate one.
375
00:24:01,960 --> 00:24:04,320
WOMAN (over TV): Makers of the
popular painkiller Oxycontin
376
00:24:04,320 --> 00:24:06,920
pleaded guilty in
federal court in Virginia.
377
00:24:06,920 --> 00:24:10,360
Prosecutors say Purdue Pharma
knew more than a decade ago
378
00:24:10,360 --> 00:24:12,840
its drug was highly addictive.
379
00:24:13,680 --> 00:24:17,080
MAN (over TV): Purdue Pharma
must pay a $600 million fine,
380
00:24:17,080 --> 00:24:20,560
one of the biggest ever
against a drug company.
381
00:24:21,520 --> 00:24:26,120
SAM: $634 million was a lot
for a fine but, the truth is,
382
00:24:26,120 --> 00:24:30,120
by then they were making
billions selling Oxycontin.
383
00:24:44,320 --> 00:24:47,000
MAN: The legal action doesn't
block sale of Oxycontin.
384
00:24:47,000 --> 00:24:50,920
The government says it's
safe if used properly.
385
00:24:51,480 --> 00:24:54,160
SAM: In Appalachia,
some doctors cut back,
386
00:24:54,160 --> 00:24:58,320
pain clinics and pill mills
began to shut down.
387
00:24:59,640 --> 00:25:03,360
A lot of people with now
serious drug problems
388
00:25:03,360 --> 00:25:06,880
began to look for other
sources of these pills.
389
00:25:24,360 --> 00:25:25,680
CHRIS: When we first opened,
390
00:25:25,680 --> 00:25:27,960
patients were
mostly local people.
391
00:25:27,960 --> 00:25:30,280
{\an8}As time went on though,
over 90% of our patients
392
00:25:30,280 --> 00:25:32,560
{\an8}came from out of state.
393
00:25:32,560 --> 00:25:36,960
WOMAN: We're talking hundreds
of thousands of individuals
394
00:25:36,960 --> 00:25:40,480
trafficking into the state of
Florida specifically to obtain
395
00:25:40,480 --> 00:25:43,240
pharmaceutical drugs.
396
00:25:43,240 --> 00:25:44,720
WOMAN: Look at
these license plates.
397
00:25:44,720 --> 00:25:47,960
Almost every car in this lot is
not from the state of Florida.
398
00:25:49,000 --> 00:25:51,040
CHRIS: I don't really care why
they were travelling so far,
399
00:25:51,040 --> 00:25:52,400
as long as they do it.
400
00:25:52,400 --> 00:25:55,200
There's no law against it.
401
00:25:55,560 --> 00:25:57,600
DERIK: As the business grew,
me and Chris were talking and
402
00:25:57,600 --> 00:26:00,040
we were like, we need to move.
403
00:26:00,040 --> 00:26:02,400
We quickly found another
place up the street,
404
00:26:02,400 --> 00:26:05,640
in an industrial park and
South Florida Pain became
405
00:26:05,640 --> 00:26:08,720
American Pain because
American Pain would be
406
00:26:08,720 --> 00:26:12,920
{\an8}one of the first businesses
listed in the Yellow Pages.
407
00:26:13,800 --> 00:26:18,200
Chris bought billboards
on the turnpike and I-95.
408
00:26:19,480 --> 00:26:21,640
CHRIS: That was some of the
best money spent on advertising.
409
00:26:21,640 --> 00:26:24,680
Anyone coming to Florida for a
pain clinic would drive by it.
410
00:26:24,680 --> 00:26:27,200
It grew our business
more than any other thing.
411
00:26:27,200 --> 00:26:30,240
We were seeing
300 people a day.
412
00:26:40,320 --> 00:26:43,000
We are bringing in
$100,000 every day.
413
00:26:43,000 --> 00:26:44,560
So, to make things
more efficient,
414
00:26:44,560 --> 00:26:47,040
I say put the money
in garbage cans.
415
00:26:49,160 --> 00:26:50,920
I just wanna take the cash,
throw it in a garbage can and
416
00:26:50,920 --> 00:26:53,200
get the patient through.
417
00:26:53,200 --> 00:26:54,840
It was all about making
it a quick, you know,
418
00:26:54,840 --> 00:26:57,080
assembly line process of
getting his patients in here
419
00:26:57,080 --> 00:26:59,120
to see the doctor.
420
00:26:59,520 --> 00:27:01,280
Being an only cash only
business, in a week there
421
00:27:01,280 --> 00:27:03,840
could be millions of
dollars at the office.
422
00:27:06,160 --> 00:27:08,400
I mean, what we spent
money on, I think everything
423
00:27:08,400 --> 00:27:10,640
(laughs).
424
00:27:11,160 --> 00:27:13,320
Derik and I, we'd go
on gambling cruise.
425
00:27:13,320 --> 00:27:15,240
DERIK: Vegas.
CHRIS: Strip clubs.
426
00:27:15,240 --> 00:27:16,560
DERIK: UFC fight in LA.
427
00:27:16,560 --> 00:27:18,840
CHRIS: Super Bowls.
DERIK: The Playboy Mansion.
428
00:27:18,840 --> 00:27:21,560
CHRIS: I had a Mercedes,
a Bentley, Lamborghini.
429
00:27:21,560 --> 00:27:23,080
DERIK: Puerto Rico.
430
00:27:23,080 --> 00:27:24,440
CHRIS: Four boats.
431
00:27:24,440 --> 00:27:26,280
DERIK: Paradise Island
in the Bahamas.
432
00:27:26,280 --> 00:27:28,040
CHRIS: A few houses.
433
00:27:28,040 --> 00:27:30,160
DERIK: Money was no object.
434
00:27:30,160 --> 00:27:31,760
CHRIS: The way the
business was growing,
435
00:27:31,760 --> 00:27:34,560
pretty much anything
I wanted I would buy.
436
00:27:35,880 --> 00:27:37,800
DERIK: I look back on it
now and I laugh, you know,
437
00:27:37,800 --> 00:27:40,720
but that's just what
we did, you know.
438
00:27:40,720 --> 00:27:45,200
Long as we didn't screw up, it
was gonna be smooth sailing.
439
00:27:47,800 --> 00:27:52,640
(sobs).
440
00:27:55,760 --> 00:28:00,400
(sighs).
441
00:28:02,560 --> 00:28:06,760
JAIME: On April the 1st of 2020,
I walked into this room
442
00:28:06,760 --> 00:28:12,720
at 8:00 in the morning and
found my son laying in his bed.
443
00:28:16,000 --> 00:28:18,160
(sobs).
444
00:28:18,160 --> 00:28:23,280
His eyes half slit and he had a
blue tint on top of his lips.
445
00:28:27,880 --> 00:28:30,960
I knew that my son was gone.
446
00:28:32,720 --> 00:28:35,160
(sobs).
447
00:28:35,160 --> 00:28:38,360
This is where my son died.
448
00:28:39,960 --> 00:28:43,080
{\an8}He gave the best
hugs in the world.
449
00:28:43,080 --> 00:28:46,960
{\an8}He's just a loving, beautiful
kid and he didn't deserve this.
450
00:28:50,720 --> 00:28:54,560
The pandemic hit and he
couldn't go to school.
451
00:28:54,560 --> 00:28:56,840
He couldn't
socialize with his friends.
452
00:28:56,840 --> 00:29:00,360
It was very, very
difficult for him.
453
00:29:00,920 --> 00:29:04,480
He decided to reach out to
a drug dealer on Snapchat.
454
00:29:05,080 --> 00:29:08,720
My son thought that he
was taking Oxycodone,
455
00:29:08,720 --> 00:29:14,720
but in reality, he took
a counterfeit pill made of fentanyl.
456
00:29:15,240 --> 00:29:19,160
He consumed half that pill
and that pill killed him.
457
00:29:21,080 --> 00:29:22,520
That is not an overdose.
458
00:29:22,520 --> 00:29:24,720
That is a poisoning.
459
00:29:35,320 --> 00:29:37,960
Big Pharma created the crisis.
460
00:29:37,960 --> 00:29:41,240
In the 2000s doctors were
prescribing Oxycodone,
461
00:29:41,240 --> 00:29:45,720
like it was candy and
kids are still dying.
462
00:29:45,720 --> 00:29:47,960
How is that possible?
463
00:29:47,960 --> 00:29:50,800
How is that even possible?
464
00:29:56,800 --> 00:29:59,280
MAN: Thousands and thousands
of people come from all over
465
00:29:59,280 --> 00:30:02,560
the eastern
seaboard to south Florida.
466
00:30:02,560 --> 00:30:06,080
You'll get people come in
vans, eight or ten at a time.
467
00:30:07,360 --> 00:30:10,120
{\an8}CHRIS: After the first year
of being open, you know,
468
00:30:10,120 --> 00:30:13,680
{\an8}tons of people copied the
same business model we had.
469
00:30:14,680 --> 00:30:17,720
All of them were trying to,
you know, be like us.
470
00:30:32,560 --> 00:30:36,160
TINA: We all had children
hooked on the Oxy,
471
00:30:36,160 --> 00:30:39,640
so we would stand out front of
the pill mill with our signs.
472
00:30:43,560 --> 00:30:47,360
The police, they had
their head in the sand
473
00:30:47,360 --> 00:30:51,520
and meanwhile people were
just losing their lives.
474
00:30:55,720 --> 00:31:01,120
At that time, my son Jonathan
was so out of control,
475
00:31:01,120 --> 00:31:04,600
just spiraling really.
476
00:31:05,520 --> 00:31:09,080
He was on probation already
for driving while high.
477
00:31:09,720 --> 00:31:12,960
I couldn't get him to do
anything cooperatively,
478
00:31:12,960 --> 00:31:16,440
{\an8}so I decided we
gotta lock him up.
479
00:31:16,440 --> 00:31:18,400
{\an8}He's got to be locked up.
480
00:31:18,400 --> 00:31:20,480
{\an8}He's gonna die.
481
00:31:21,640 --> 00:31:23,920
I want my son to be
locked up in jail
482
00:31:23,920 --> 00:31:26,920
in a treatment program.
483
00:31:35,520 --> 00:31:38,160
I drove to the
police and I said
484
00:31:38,160 --> 00:31:41,200
"I want to file a complaint
against this drug dealer,
485
00:31:41,200 --> 00:31:43,400
this doctor in this clinic."
486
00:31:43,400 --> 00:31:46,480
"Well let me get the officer
to speak with you"
487
00:31:46,480 --> 00:31:50,040
and then he came out and he
said, "We know, we're on it."
488
00:31:54,120 --> 00:31:56,600
JENNIFER: I don't think any of
us really had an appreciation
489
00:31:56,600 --> 00:32:00,480
for the scope of the
investigation and for
490
00:32:00,480 --> 00:32:02,840
what the investigation
would become.
491
00:32:06,840 --> 00:32:10,720
{\an8}I was the lead agent with the
FBI's investigation against
492
00:32:10,720 --> 00:32:13,760
Chris George and
American Pain.
493
00:32:14,320 --> 00:32:17,440
We were investigating the
largest drug trafficking
494
00:32:17,440 --> 00:32:20,240
organization in the
United States at the time
495
00:32:20,240 --> 00:32:24,240
that was operating under
the guise of legality.
496
00:32:24,920 --> 00:32:27,920
We had to put a stop to it,
but we couldn't just go in and
497
00:32:27,920 --> 00:32:31,440
shut it down while he
was operating legally
498
00:32:31,440 --> 00:32:34,480
within the state of Florida.
499
00:32:35,240 --> 00:32:39,560
I had to find a different way
of investigating this case.
500
00:32:41,120 --> 00:32:44,640
The question is, what
makes the business illegal?
501
00:32:49,920 --> 00:32:52,080
MAN (over TV): The cops say it
all began here with this one
502
00:32:52,080 --> 00:32:54,600
pain clinic that
has now relocated.
503
00:32:54,600 --> 00:32:58,160
{\an8}DERIK: We were the biggest,
baddest there was, right.
504
00:32:58,160 --> 00:33:00,640
{\an8}There's nobody that's
gonna be able to have the
505
00:33:00,640 --> 00:33:03,440
{\an8}amount of doctors,
get the amount of pills.
506
00:33:03,440 --> 00:33:05,720
We had everything, you know,
I mean, we were the top dog
507
00:33:05,720 --> 00:33:07,920
and they can't touch us.
508
00:33:07,920 --> 00:33:10,840
Everything is legit.
509
00:33:11,400 --> 00:33:13,640
JENNIFER: There had to
be a way to stop it.
510
00:33:13,640 --> 00:33:17,680
{\an8}We needed a multi-agency
approach in order to
511
00:33:17,680 --> 00:33:20,480
{\an8}combat this problem.
512
00:33:21,080 --> 00:33:24,640
We brought the DEA
and the IRS on board.
513
00:33:24,640 --> 00:33:28,360
We started listening to a
title three wire intercept
514
00:33:28,360 --> 00:33:31,240
on Chris George's phone.
515
00:33:31,240 --> 00:33:36,760
I also deputized 50 local
law enforcement officers.
516
00:33:37,320 --> 00:33:41,120
They worked surveillance, they
worked as undercover employees
517
00:33:41,120 --> 00:33:43,800
that went into the clinic.
518
00:33:44,520 --> 00:33:48,160
What went on just in the
waiting room at American Pain
519
00:33:48,160 --> 00:33:51,320
was complete madness.
520
00:33:51,320 --> 00:33:54,160
The patients, they're high,
they're strung out,
521
00:33:54,160 --> 00:33:58,360
they can barely stand up
straight, let alone walk
522
00:33:59,200 --> 00:34:01,320
and then we learned
that Chris George
523
00:34:01,320 --> 00:34:04,600
was opening up a new clinic.
524
00:34:05,800 --> 00:34:08,600
It was a former bank.
525
00:34:10,520 --> 00:34:13,240
CHRIS: It was time to
get a bigger place.
526
00:34:13,240 --> 00:34:17,080
{\an8}We found the huge 20,000
square foot old bank building.
527
00:34:19,120 --> 00:34:21,760
DERIK: We built the place out,
moved all the stuff over the
528
00:34:21,760 --> 00:34:25,960
weekend and we're open
for business the next day.
529
00:34:30,160 --> 00:34:33,240
CHRIS: It was huge.
No windows.
530
00:34:33,240 --> 00:34:36,120
It was like a fortress.
531
00:34:37,360 --> 00:34:40,560
It had a two acre parking lot
with hundreds of parking spots.
532
00:34:41,920 --> 00:34:44,640
It basically had
everything we needed.
533
00:34:48,240 --> 00:34:51,000
At our peak, we would see
about 600 patients a day
534
00:34:51,000 --> 00:34:52,840
in American Pain and
that would generate about
535
00:34:52,840 --> 00:34:55,960
$250,000 in cash every day.
536
00:35:04,720 --> 00:35:06,680
DERIK: We were just
pushing, pushing.
537
00:35:06,680 --> 00:35:08,320
DIRECTOR: Why?
538
00:35:08,320 --> 00:35:10,640
DERIK: I don't know.
Money, power.
539
00:35:10,640 --> 00:35:12,840
It's addicting.
540
00:35:12,840 --> 00:35:15,600
You just want more
and more and more.
541
00:35:17,120 --> 00:35:20,400
{\an8}JENNIFER: I went up there
to get a look at the place.
542
00:35:20,400 --> 00:35:22,880
It was enormous.
543
00:35:22,880 --> 00:35:26,720
It was really on that day
that I remember saying,
544
00:35:26,720 --> 00:35:30,560
"We have to put an end to this."
545
00:35:30,960 --> 00:35:33,560
But I knew I
couldn't do it alone.
546
00:35:34,000 --> 00:35:37,560
Special Agent Kurt McKenzie,
he dove in with both feet and
547
00:35:37,560 --> 00:35:40,600
he owned this
case along with me.
548
00:35:43,440 --> 00:35:46,240
KURT: My reputation was that
if you told me something was
549
00:35:46,240 --> 00:35:49,600
impossible, I'd say okay
and leave and figure it out.
550
00:35:51,480 --> 00:35:54,160
Their prescribing
numbers were off the charts.
551
00:35:54,160 --> 00:35:58,160
{\an8}Five doctors from American Pain
prescribed more Oxycodone
552
00:35:58,160 --> 00:36:01,440
{\an8}than every single doctor in
the entire state of California.
553
00:36:02,720 --> 00:36:05,520
We interviewed real pain
management specialists and
554
00:36:05,520 --> 00:36:09,000
they explained to us, "Oh, you
don't just hand out narcotics.
555
00:36:09,000 --> 00:36:12,640
First of all you have
to determine what's causing the pain."
556
00:36:13,800 --> 00:36:17,560
We realized we needed
to focus on the doctors.
557
00:36:20,000 --> 00:36:24,240
Shutting them down, would
shut this operation down.
558
00:36:26,120 --> 00:36:28,760
We had sent in undercover
law enforcement officers
559
00:36:28,760 --> 00:36:31,680
with cameras and body mics.
560
00:36:33,560 --> 00:36:36,560
JENNIFER: We wanted to
establish a pattern of
561
00:36:36,560 --> 00:36:40,680
prescribing practices amongst
the American Pain doctors.
562
00:36:43,880 --> 00:36:47,400
KURT: I would take notes about
when the person walked into
563
00:36:47,400 --> 00:36:51,080
the examination room
and when they walked out.
564
00:36:54,200 --> 00:36:58,040
I spent over a week
looking at examinations.
565
00:36:59,720 --> 00:37:01,760
It should have taken an
hour to an hour and a half
566
00:37:01,760 --> 00:37:04,080
to conduct these tests.
567
00:37:04,080 --> 00:37:06,920
But the doctors in American Pain
somehow managed to get
568
00:37:06,920 --> 00:37:10,920
them done in three
minutes and 45 seconds.
569
00:37:12,880 --> 00:37:15,640
Three minutes and 45 seconds
570
00:37:15,640 --> 00:37:21,480
to get between
300 and 500 narcotics
571
00:37:22,040 --> 00:37:24,680
and walk out the door.
572
00:37:26,960 --> 00:37:29,560
This is a drug
distribution operation.
573
00:37:29,560 --> 00:37:32,360
There's no
medicine going on here.
574
00:37:40,120 --> 00:37:45,160
JENNIFER: On March 3rd, 2010,
I wanted Chris George to feel
575
00:37:45,160 --> 00:37:49,160
the weight of the federal
government come down on him.
576
00:37:54,560 --> 00:37:57,760
KURT: My job was to lead
the team that executed the
577
00:37:57,760 --> 00:38:00,320
search warrant at
Chris George's house.
578
00:38:01,040 --> 00:38:03,360
CHRIS: Babe, they have a search warrant
for the house, they're inside the house.
579
00:38:04,000 --> 00:38:04,800
DIANE: What?
580
00:38:05,400 --> 00:38:08,680
KURT: We found two shotguns
and a 9 millimeter pistol
581
00:38:08,680 --> 00:38:11,080
that were stolen.
582
00:38:16,600 --> 00:38:18,880
CHRIS: They're gonna put
me in jail for a long time babe
583
00:38:18,880 --> 00:38:20,600
A long ******* time!
584
00:38:21,760 --> 00:38:23,680
JENNIFER: Chris George was on
the phone with his girlfriend,
585
00:38:23,680 --> 00:38:25,680
Diana Pavnick.
586
00:38:26,000 --> 00:38:27,480
CHRIS: Babe, I'm ******!
587
00:38:27,960 --> 00:38:29,600
I'm ****** baby!
588
00:38:30,480 --> 00:38:35,800
JENNIFER: This was the
first time we ever heard him show emotion.
589
00:38:36,680 --> 00:38:39,480
He was scared.
590
00:38:40,480 --> 00:38:42,480
He was running scared.
591
00:38:44,720 --> 00:38:48,360
JENNIFER: We took his boats,
his luxury vehicles.
592
00:38:48,360 --> 00:38:51,000
We seized his bank accounts
593
00:38:51,000 --> 00:38:54,000
and served a multitude
of seizure warrants,
594
00:38:54,000 --> 00:38:57,280
which yielded just
shy of $10 million.
595
00:38:58,520 --> 00:39:03,800
{\an8}But, more importantly, we seized
about 28,000 patient files.
596
00:39:10,600 --> 00:39:14,000
{\an8}KURT: We started taking a
hard look at the deaths.
597
00:39:17,160 --> 00:39:20,760
We had an intelligence analyst
pull 300 names randomly
598
00:39:20,760 --> 00:39:23,000
from the patient files.
599
00:39:23,000 --> 00:39:26,600
We found out that 28 of those
300 people were deceased.
600
00:39:28,840 --> 00:39:32,200
So, if you extrapolate that
out to the 28,000 individuals
601
00:39:32,200 --> 00:39:34,640
we knew that
visited this clinic,
602
00:39:34,640 --> 00:39:38,640
we could have as many
as 2,800 deceased.
603
00:39:40,120 --> 00:39:41,560
(laughs)
604
00:39:41,560 --> 00:39:43,920
{\an8}CHRIS: You make me
sound like a mass murderer.
605
00:39:44,640 --> 00:39:46,760
{\an8}They did tell me that I
killed more people than 9/11,
606
00:39:46,760 --> 00:39:49,640
{\an8}and I'm like, that's just crazy.
607
00:39:49,640 --> 00:39:51,440
(laughs).
608
00:39:51,440 --> 00:39:53,480
KURT: Chris George
is a psychopath.
609
00:39:53,480 --> 00:39:56,040
He had no feeling whatsoever
and he did not care that he
610
00:39:56,040 --> 00:39:59,200
was responsible for
causing these people's deaths.
611
00:40:00,640 --> 00:40:04,240
JENNIFER: Chris George
believed if anyone ever took
612
00:40:04,240 --> 00:40:08,400
any blame for the illegal
activity within the clinic,
613
00:40:08,400 --> 00:40:12,280
that it was going to be
the physicians and not him.
614
00:40:14,120 --> 00:40:15,680
KURT: The average doctor in
their organization made
615
00:40:15,680 --> 00:40:17,800
over $1 million dollars a year.
616
00:40:17,800 --> 00:40:20,680
They were drug dealers,
in white lab coats.
617
00:40:20,680 --> 00:40:22,720
That's all they were.
618
00:40:22,720 --> 00:40:26,080
After they'd been arrested,
most of the doctors ended up
619
00:40:26,080 --> 00:40:29,120
agreeing to cooperate.
620
00:40:29,120 --> 00:40:31,480
CHRIS: The doctors started
pleading out, saying that
621
00:40:31,480 --> 00:40:34,160
I told them to prescribe
large amounts of drugs and
622
00:40:34,160 --> 00:40:36,040
don't care about the patients
623
00:40:36,040 --> 00:40:39,040
and that's how they
built their case.
624
00:40:45,320 --> 00:40:47,800
JENNIFER: The doctors
provided us with the
625
00:40:47,800 --> 00:40:51,640
final piece of evidence that
we needed and admitted to
626
00:40:51,640 --> 00:40:55,800
the fact that they sold
their medical licenses
627
00:40:55,800 --> 00:40:59,440
to be drug dealers
for Chris George.
628
00:41:00,720 --> 00:41:03,520
KURT: We told him the evidence
that we had against him was
629
00:41:03,520 --> 00:41:05,120
enough to put him in
federal prison for
630
00:41:05,120 --> 00:41:07,800
the rest of his natural life.
631
00:41:07,800 --> 00:41:11,680
So, that was used sort
of as a tool to get him to plead guilty.
632
00:41:13,040 --> 00:41:15,640
CHRIS: It was, you know,
the hardest decision I made
633
00:41:15,640 --> 00:41:18,080
in my life.
634
00:41:23,720 --> 00:41:26,960
I plead out to one count of
racketeering conspiracy,
635
00:41:26,960 --> 00:41:30,640
and was sentenced to just
over 17 years in prison.
636
00:41:32,120 --> 00:41:35,480
I was pretty angry that
they could do all this to me.
637
00:41:35,480 --> 00:41:38,640
I pretty much lost everything.
638
00:41:38,640 --> 00:41:40,960
DERIK: You know, pretty much
everybody had rolled over on me,
639
00:41:40,960 --> 00:41:43,760
so their case was just building
and building and building.
640
00:41:44,720 --> 00:41:47,560
I plead guilty to federal
racketeering charges and
641
00:41:47,560 --> 00:41:50,880
I was sentenced to 14
years in federal prison.
642
00:41:51,320 --> 00:41:54,800
{\an8}It really hit home when
that judge said 14 years.
643
00:42:02,600 --> 00:42:06,120
JENNIFER: We shut down the largest
prescription drug trafficking organization
644
00:42:06,120 --> 00:42:09,880
in the United States
at the time.
645
00:42:09,880 --> 00:42:12,320
It is one of the most
proud things I have
646
00:42:12,320 --> 00:42:15,600
ever accomplished in my career.
647
00:42:16,680 --> 00:42:19,360
KURT: In the year following
us shutting down the
648
00:42:19,360 --> 00:42:22,120
American Pain organization,
649
00:42:22,120 --> 00:42:24,160
the death rate from
oxycodone overdose
650
00:42:24,160 --> 00:42:27,600
in the state of
Florida dropped 41%.
651
00:42:38,600 --> 00:42:40,520
JONATHAN: They profited hand
over fist and they destroyed
652
00:42:40,520 --> 00:42:44,160
a lot of lives, a lot of lives,
653
00:42:44,160 --> 00:42:46,880
and when I look back at it,
654
00:42:46,880 --> 00:42:50,680
I was gonna die too, 100%.
655
00:42:51,200 --> 00:42:54,680
I would definitely say
my mom saved my life
656
00:42:54,680 --> 00:42:57,840
and my mother is Tina Reed.
657
00:42:58,640 --> 00:43:01,000
TINA: Sometimes I wonder
if he realizes that
658
00:43:01,000 --> 00:43:04,160
I had him arrested.
659
00:43:05,840 --> 00:43:09,320
It's just so wonderful
to see how far he's come.
660
00:43:09,320 --> 00:43:12,920
We are so lucky
and so grateful.
661
00:43:13,920 --> 00:43:16,960
He coulda just been
another one of those numbers.
662
00:43:27,760 --> 00:43:29,960
{\an8}DIRECTOR: What's
next for Chris George?
663
00:43:29,960 --> 00:43:33,080
{\an8}What does the future hold?
664
00:43:36,160 --> 00:43:38,960
{\an8}CHRIS: So, I just got out
recently and I'm looking at
665
00:43:38,960 --> 00:43:42,040
{\an8}other things, other businesses
and, you know, see what looks
666
00:43:42,040 --> 00:43:46,440
{\an8}the best and I wouldn't
do pain management again.
667
00:43:47,760 --> 00:43:50,920
{\an8}But, you know, something in
the medical field I'm open to.
668
00:43:52,320 --> 00:43:53,680
{\an8}(laughs).
669
00:43:54,920 --> 00:43:56,160
{\an8}Captioned by
Cotter Media Group.