Drug crimes, at the state or federal level, can carry serious penalties, as one man discovered recently. The man was found guilty last October in a Virginia federal district court of conspiracy to distribute the prescription painkiller oxycodone. Late last month, a judge ordered him to serve nine years in prison for his role in the drug distribution scheme. Prior to his involvement in the drug plot, he had worked as a security guard for famous musicians, including Tina Turner, Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder.

Court documents indicate that the man operated as a leader in the drug ring, getting pills from multiple pharmacies and then providing them to dealers, who would sell to individual users in Northern Virginia and Washington. In order to obtain more pills, he deceived pharmacies by assuming different identities. He used a variety of names and dates of birth and wore wigs and disguises when he appeared to pick up the pills. His disguises also included wearing neck braces, using crutches and feigning injury.

Court documents also appear to indicate that at least one doctor wrote the man prescriptions for OxyContin, knowing that he was not using them for personal pain relief but was selling them for profit. Prosecutors believe that he sold more than 80,000 OxyContin pills.

Prosecutors also alleged in documents filed for sentencing that the man attempted to continue distributing drugs after he was taken into custody. He allegedly tried to distribute Percocet from jail.

A number of informants participated in the investigation, named Operation Cotton Candy. The FBI, the Virginia State Police and local police forces contributed to the investigation, which is currently still active.

Source: Richmond Times-Dispatch, "Ex-celebrity security guard gets 9 years for drug trafficking," Amanda Stewart, Jan. 28, 2012.