Authorities Make Arrests In Online Pharmacy Case

Authorities put an end to what they say is an illegal online pharmacy that may be tied to as many as eight drug-related deaths.  Investigators say Grand Lake Pharmacy near Grove in Delaware County was selling prescription drugs without a license. 

The News On 6's Chris Wright reports after a lengthy investigation, the Delaware County Drug Task force raided the Grand Lake Pharmacy on Friday, and even they were surprised by what they found.

Police say the pharmacy was illegally filling thousands of prescriptions, and doling out thousands of pills.

And Delaware county District Attorney Bryce Lair says they were shipping them nation-wide.

"This was going outside of our jurisdiction.  That's part of the reason it's so big is because it was going so far, and the extent of this we don't even know yet," said Bryce Lair, Asst. District Attorney.

Besides the Cialis and other prescription drugs, Lair says the pharmacy made the mistake of selling the Muscle relaxant Soma.

It is considered a controlled substance in Oklahoma.

Furthermore, the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics says that Soma from Grand Lake Pharmacy may be linked to eight deaths in Hawaii, Florida and Ohio.          

All the evidence prompted a raid last Friday.

Arrested during the bust were 45-year-old Randolph Enyart, 25-year-old Kristina Donahoe and 37-year-old Tammy Walker.

The pharmacy's owner, J.R. Enyart, surrendered to police on Wednesday.

Besides the thousands of prescription pills and the Soma, the drug task force during its raid found plenty of other contraband.  You've got thousands of cartons of untaxed cigarettes, and about two dozen guns were seized from the property.

Authorities say operations like that have become more common as prescription drug abuse soars across the country.

Still, most are based offshore, and it is rare to bust one in the states.

Delaware County hopes these arrests send a message.

"We believe that prescription drug abuse in this area is rampant, and we look forward to further opportunities to stem the tide," said Lair.

The Bureau of Narcotics believes that Grand Lake Pharmacy may also be linked to several recent overdoses in Miami.

The District Attorney's office says that the pharmacy was, at one time, based on tribal land and licensed to fill prescriptions.  But that license expired.

Formal charges have yet to be filed in the case.