The Los Angeles Health Authority Law Enforcement Task Force, otherwise known as “HALT,” recently destroyed millions of dollars worth of pharmaceuticals seized from all over Los Angeles County. The officers associated with “HALT” are not only from the LASD, but also from other law enforcement agencies including the LAPD, the California Department of Health Care Services, and the US Department of Health and Human Services.
The “HALT” task force’s primary job is to investigate medical service providers like doctor’s offices and dentists, as well as black market suppliers of pharmaceuticals. If, during the investigation, pharmaceuticals are found, the “HALT” investigators will ensure that they are confiscated and destroyed. According to Sgt. Steve Opferman, the leader of the “HALT” team, “The purity and potency of these drugs varies, and are often not what is represented on the labels. They are smuggled into our country and not certified by the FDA. The buyers never truly know what they are paying for.”
Many of the drugs that were recently destroyed were used as evidence in court proceedings. Once they were no longer needed, “HALT” investigators had the go-ahead to destroy them. In all, over $3 million dollars worth of pharmaceuticals were destroyed in an incinerator near the port of Los Angeles.
