Submitted by Fox First at Ten on December 7th
SPOKANE POLICE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE:
SPOKANE, Wash. - The Spokane Police Department arrested Marlon J. Jones on Thursday, December 6th after executing a search warrant for illicit prescription drug sales at Jones' apartment located at 1424 West 10th Apt. A in Spokane.
He was booked into the Spokane County Jail for Delivery of a Controlled Substance and after a thorough investigation, Jones could face more charges.
The illicit delivery of prescription drugs is also called 'pill diversion.' Basically this means that legitimate prescribed drugs have been diverted to the black market and are then sold illegally. Often times, these prescription drugs have been stolen from medicine cabinets or from robbing pharmacies.
Jones was involved with the sales of Oxycodone, a schedule 2 narcotic. Prescription drug addicts purchase the pills on the black market for varying amounts but typically, depending on the strength of the drug, the cost is about $1.00 per milligram. This means that a 30 mg pill would sell for about $30.00.
This becomes a very expensive addiction for addicts and heavily influences the property crime problem effecting Spokane and other communities as addicts become so desperate, they will do almost anything for the pills.
SIU and the Spokane Police Department has seen a noticeable increase in pill diversion cases in the past year. The SPD encourages the use of pill destruction programs to keep unused medications out of the hands of children.
Prescription drug addiction often leads to a heroin addiction, a much cheaper alternative. Heroin use then also creates issues with property crime. There are also numerous health related issues as users mostly use heroin through IV injections.
Detectives and police officers come in contact with addicts regularly who have MRSA and other diseases, placing Police officers' health at risk.
