6 charged with drug trafficking in case of stolen prescription pads

Law enforcement authorities say two stolen prescription pads in Boynton Beach turned into 140 forged prescriptions and 17,250 doses of prescription drugs for a band of black market drug hustlers that operated throughout 2015.

Arrests were made in July. The multi-agency team that includes the DEA charged six as part of the drug ring: Alexis McDonald, 29, of Pompano Beach; Harolena Persad, 25, of Lake Worth; Quinn Moody, 52 of Hollywood; Betty Jean Kendle, 57, of North Lauderdale; Andrew Dixon, 58, of Fort Lauderdale; and April Evans, 62, of Fort Lauderdale.

Persad is out on house arrest after posting her $75,000 bond, which was reduced from $1.035 million, the amount at which McDonald’s remains on her 112-count case. The rest remain in Broward County Jail in lieu of bonds ranging from $158,500 to $263,000.

All face RICO conspiracy charges as well as a number of trafficking charges involving prescription drugs such as morphine and oxycodone. Each is facing jail time that could be counted in decades as easily as years.

Warrants have been issued for four others: Melvin Patrick of Lauderhill and Debbie Thomas, Edwin Swinton and Solomon Walker Jr., of Fort Lauderdale.

Police believe Persad and McDonald — both medical assistants at Bethesda Health — pilfered the prescription pads belonging to Dr. Edyta Mularczyk. The arrest warrants say the missing prescription pads and the number of prescriptions filled by certain patients — for example, 19 by Kendle — raised questions.

Some of Persad and McDonald’s co-workers recognized their handwriting on some of the prescriptions, pointing an arrow in the duo’s direction also.

This story was originally published August 4, 2016 at 8:41 PM with the headline "6 charged with drug trafficking in case of stolen prescription pads."