Longtime Miami doctor sold Xanax, Viagra prescriptions to undercover informant, cops say

A longtime South Miami doctor has been arrested after police said he sold prescriptions for Xanax, Viagra and the powerful painkiller hydrocodone to an undercover informant.

Mark A. Zager, a doctor since 1975, is described as a family practitioner who “put focus on preventative care with routine checkups, tests and personalized coaching on how to maintain a healthy lifestyle,” according to his online biography. Board-certified in family medicine, Zager also has privileges to practice at Baptist Hospital and South Miami Hospital, according to his state license.

He also serves as a doctor for people who need permission to use marijuana for medical use, according to a medical website.

Zager was the target of an undercover probe by Miami and Coral Gables police. The informant, in October, paid $200 for the prescription for 90 pills of Xanax, an anti-anxiety drug that is frequently used recreationally, according to a police report.

Then on Tuesday, the informant bought a prescription for 30 Viagra pills and 20 hydrocodone pills — all for $600, police said. The informant told Zager he “did not have a medical necessity for the prescriptions but rather wanted to obtain them for recreational use,” the report said.

The deal was consummated not at Zager’s South Miami office, but at his apartment. “All three prescriptions were issued in bad faith and not in the course of professional practice,” according to the report.

Zager, who was arrested Thursday, remained in a Miami-Dade jail on Friday. It was unclear if he had retained a defense lawyer.

He is charged with five felonies, including illegal sale of a controlled substance, and issuing a fraudulent prescription.

This story was originally published November 19, 2021 at 9:23 AM.