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Steroid pill mill had links to 57 US doctors.
In about six months, 10,774 orders of anabolic-androgenic steroids and human growth hormone left Treasure Coast Specialty Pharmacy in Jensen Beach.
The prescriptions, dispensed between Oct. 1, 2010 and March 31, 2011, came from 57 doctors, according to a Florida Department of Health order to shut down the pharmacy, located at 1114 Jensen Beach Blvd.
In its emergency suspension order of the pharmacy's permit, the Health Department states that 30 of the doctors practice in Florida, and one wrote more than 4,400 of the prescriptions.
Two other doctors prescribed the steroids, generally used for building lean muscle, for themselves.
But officials do not identify the doctors, except by initials. And Jennifer Hirst, a spokeswoman in Tallahassee, would not say if charges have been pressed against them, but indicated the investigation is ongoing.
Officials shut down the pharmacy on June 28 after a joint investigation by the Department of Health and the United States Drug Enforcement Administration.
They say the local business was one of the largest steroids suppliers in the country, and that it was part of an Internet network that saw it ship controlled substances to buyers in the continental United States and even overseas to Guam, the Virgin Islands, Finland and Canada.
Health officials said the Treasure Coast Specialty Pharmacy was licensed to do business in 48 states, but not New York and North Carolina.
But between October 2010 and March 2011, officials said the company shipped prescription medication to 387 patients in New York and 32 in North Carolina.
A DEA investigator conducted an investigation of the pharmacy in March 2010 and found that the majority of doctors prescribing steroids lived in states different than their patients. The investigator pulled nearly 1,000 records, according to the suspension order.
"Physicians who have never examined patients are signing prescriptions that are presented to them for signature, based on orders that patients have placed over the Internet," investigators said. "Physicians sign the prescriptions without examining the patients and without determining whether the quantities and dosages of the anabolic-androgenic steroids and (human growth hormone) are medically appropriate."
The scheme seemed to work seamlessly that two Internet businesses formed relationships with physicians and Treasure Coast Specialty Pharmacy, Ms. Hirst said.
Treasure Coast Specialty Pharmacy belongs to Peter Del Toro, a licensed pharmacist, who owns and operates the business. He employed four other pharmacists, but distributed about 85 percent of medication, authorities said.
Mr. Del Toro was not available for comment by press time, but investigators said the wrongdoing was companywide, and "not limited to one pharmacist or employee, but instead (had) permeated the entire pharmacy and all its staff."
"Mr. Del Toro knows or should know that the prescriptions for anabolic-androgenic steroids and (human growth hormone) that are supplied to Treasure Coast for fulfillment are signed by physicians who are often not located in the same states as the patients seeking medications, and that physicians have not established a physician-patient relationship with the patients," the order stated.
An undercover investigation also found pharmacy staff failing to conduct proper verifications of prescriptions, and officials said the company improperly dispensed thousands of orders, many of which were for oxycodone - a drug that has become a favorite on the black market.
In about six months, 10,774 orders of anabolic-androgenic steroids and human growth hormone left Treasure Coast Specialty Pharmacy in Jensen Beach.
The prescriptions, dispensed between Oct. 1, 2010 and March 31, 2011, came from 57 doctors, according to a Florida Department of Health order to shut down the pharmacy, located at 1114 Jensen Beach Blvd.
In its emergency suspension order of the pharmacy's permit, the Health Department states that 30 of the doctors practice in Florida, and one wrote more than 4,400 of the prescriptions.
Two other doctors prescribed the steroids, generally used for building lean muscle, for themselves.
But officials do not identify the doctors, except by initials. And Jennifer Hirst, a spokeswoman in Tallahassee, would not say if charges have been pressed against them, but indicated the investigation is ongoing.
Officials shut down the pharmacy on June 28 after a joint investigation by the Department of Health and the United States Drug Enforcement Administration.
They say the local business was one of the largest steroids suppliers in the country, and that it was part of an Internet network that saw it ship controlled substances to buyers in the continental United States and even overseas to Guam, the Virgin Islands, Finland and Canada.
Health officials said the Treasure Coast Specialty Pharmacy was licensed to do business in 48 states, but not New York and North Carolina.
But between October 2010 and March 2011, officials said the company shipped prescription medication to 387 patients in New York and 32 in North Carolina.
A DEA investigator conducted an investigation of the pharmacy in March 2010 and found that the majority of doctors prescribing steroids lived in states different than their patients. The investigator pulled nearly 1,000 records, according to the suspension order.
"Physicians who have never examined patients are signing prescriptions that are presented to them for signature, based on orders that patients have placed over the Internet," investigators said. "Physicians sign the prescriptions without examining the patients and without determining whether the quantities and dosages of the anabolic-androgenic steroids and (human growth hormone) are medically appropriate."
The scheme seemed to work seamlessly that two Internet businesses formed relationships with physicians and Treasure Coast Specialty Pharmacy, Ms. Hirst said.
Treasure Coast Specialty Pharmacy belongs to Peter Del Toro, a licensed pharmacist, who owns and operates the business. He employed four other pharmacists, but distributed about 85 percent of medication, authorities said.
Mr. Del Toro was not available for comment by press time, but investigators said the wrongdoing was companywide, and "not limited to one pharmacist or employee, but instead (had) permeated the entire pharmacy and all its staff."
"Mr. Del Toro knows or should know that the prescriptions for anabolic-androgenic steroids and (human growth hormone) that are supplied to Treasure Coast for fulfillment are signed by physicians who are often not located in the same states as the patients seeking medications, and that physicians have not established a physician-patient relationship with the patients," the order stated.
An undercover investigation also found pharmacy staff failing to conduct proper verifications of prescriptions, and officials said the company improperly dispensed thousands of orders, many of which were for oxycodone - a drug that has become a favorite on the black market.
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