St. Clair Police Department’s Debrecht recognized by DEA for aiding in ‘large scale’ investigation. local news
Clair Police Department was recognized Wednesday morning for his work assisting the Drug Enforcement Administration with an investigation into a Collinsville, Illinois, doctor who illegally administered anti-anxiety medication to individuals. was writing that he had no doctor-patient relationship or had ever met to determine his need for the drug.
“I’d like to thank Assistant Captain Debrecht for his hard work at the DEA and federal law enforcement on this case,” St. Clair Police Department Chief Mike Wirt told The Missourian. Wirt said Debrecht, who has been in the department for 13 years, helped investigators contact individuals in the community who were Dr. Matthew S. Miller’s plans were impressed.
“Using his knowledge of the dangers associated with pharmaceutical drug diversion, Assistant Chief Debrecht reported suspicious activities to the St. Louis Division,” Michael A. Davis wrote in a letter lauding Debrecht’s assistance. That tip alerted federal investigators to Miller’s work within a “large-scale drug trafficking organization that was illegally diverting drugs” between Illinois and Missouri.
Miller, who was indicted by a federal grand jury in August 2021, was an osteopathic physician from Collinsville.
Miller, who was licensed to practice medicine in Missouri, Michigan and New Jersey, has since pleaded guilty to one count of fraudulently obtaining a controlled substance and one count of making false statements related to a health matter, Will write prescriptions for the anti-anxiety drug Xanax for six people between 2016 and 2018. However, Miller wrote these prescriptions despite not being licensed by Missouri’s Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs and lacking the Drug Enforcement Administration registration number required to do so.
According to federal investigators, Xanax is a “commonly abused drug” that can cause dependence or addiction due to the fact that the drug produces a calming effect on the brain and central nervous system.
Sometimes, individuals whose identities are not on court records meet with Miller and give him some or all of the bullets. At other times, investigators said Miller would sell Xanax and split the money.
Wirt said some of the prescriptions were filled at pharmacies in St. Clair. Upon Miller’s sentencing in September, Miller was ordered to spend a year in federal prison and pay compensation to pharmacies affected by his plan.
“It’s often when people realize doctors are involved and I’m glad that the DEA is actively working to bring those responsible to justice,” Wirt said.
