Worcester Firefighter OxyContin use probed

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Originally posted by paineinthearse here. Original thread has link to site that requires registration.

Worcester Firefighter OxyContin use probed
Chief says inquiry is internal matter
By Milton J. Valencia TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF

WORCESTER— The Fire Department is investigating at least three firefighters implicated in a federal Drug Enforcement Administration probe into the use of OxyContin, a highly addictive painkiller known on the streets as “hillbilly heroin.” Fire Chief Gerard A. Dio would only say his investigation is a personnel matter and would not release the names of the firefighters. No one has been charged, and no disciplinary action has been taken. He would not say whether any action would be taken. “All fire personnel working for the city will be 100 percent” ready for duty, the chief said. “It’s public safety.”

The chief would not comment on the investigation any further, but sources familiar with the probe said the Fire Department was notified by the DEA on Friday and that the internal investigation began after that. The Telegram & Gazette has learned the firefighters’ names, but has chosen not to identify them because they have not been criminally charged or disciplined at work. The DEA does not comment on any investigation, a spokesman said. A spokeswoman for the U.S. attorney’s office in Boston would neither confirm nor deny an investigation.

Sources familiar with the case said the Fire Department was told the firefighters were addicted to the drug and taking it for personal use. Several sources said at least two of the firefighters were injured on duty and may have become addicted after it was prescribed for injuries. According to the DEA, OxyContin is prescribed for serious injuries or illness, such as cancer. It is highly addictive, and a large dosage could cause severe respiratory depression that could be fatal.

The drug has become a significant DEA concern because many times its prevalence is the product of pharmacy robberies or health care fraud.
“An increase in illegal use has been especially apparent on the East Coast,” reads a DEA description of the drug. This is the second time in less than a month that the area has seen a DEA investigation into city employees. Last month, two city police officers and two other men were charged with conspiring to sell GHB, an illegal muscle enhancer also used, when taken in significant doses, as a rave drug and a date rape drug. A trial is pending in federal court. One of the officers, Brian W. Benedict, 33, has since resigned. Officer Heriberto Arroyo, 36, has been placed on unpaid administrative leave. They also face charges they conspired to possess cocaine and Ecstasy.