Local Doctors Accused Of Running Pill Mills, Flooding Streets With Oxycodone

BALTIMORE (WJZ) — Two local doctors are accused of running a pill mill and selling painkiller prescriptions for cash.

Federal agents say two separate schemes led to a flood of doses of powerful pills flowing through Maryland streets.

Authorities say the two doctors flooded the streets with painkillers in recent years.

According to an emergency order from the State Board of Physicians, complaints poured in saying lines were out the door at Kofi Shaw-Taylor's office in Baltimore. Some waiting nine hours at times to be seen, even until 3 a.m.

Other workers in the building tell WJZ it was "out of control" and "frightening," adding that there were often fights between people waiting in line, something the indictment also mentioned.

Shaw-Taylor is being charged with close to 300 counts of drug offenses, Medicare fraud, and conspiracy.

Authorities say the inside of his office was known as a hot spot for drugs, which spiraled out of control and flooded the streets with thousands of doses of Oxycodone.

"These are outrageous cases," said Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh"these cases were outrageous"

The indictment is centered around Dr. Shaw-Taylor, who authorities say ran a pill mill out of a suite along Falls Rd. in Baltimore.

Since 2015, they say the pain doctor gave out 280,000 doses of Oxycodone, even if patients tested positive for illicit drugs.

Patients paid for visits in cash, sometimes as high as $500.

"This is an epidemic at proportionate levels, high proportionate levels," said special agent Karl Colder, with the DEA.

The doctor and his co-defendants are also accused of submitting more than $100,000 in fraudulent Medicaid claims.

His office was raided in April, and Shaw-Taylor lost his license in June.

The indictment says some of Shaw-Taylor's patients drove hours just to see him, and that one even drove from Ohio.

"I noticed that there was a lot of people when they were there late at night," says one neighbor.

Meanwhile, in a separate scheme, Hasan Babaturk, a licensed medical doctor at the time, is accused of distributing Oxycodone and even Fentanyl. An operation that was allegedly conducted out of his vehicle in Harford County.

Two separate schemes authorities believe played a key role in the surge of overdoses Maryland has seen in recent years.

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