Rico Indictments For Two Men Involved In Florida Pill Ring

Posted on 7/14/2011

Defendant: Shawn Forsythe, Matthew Hughes

Today, Prosecutor Ron O’Brien announced that the Franklin County Grand Jury has returned two indictments against individuals allegedly involved in an apparent Florida to Ohio link for prescription drug trafficking. The charges range from (RICO) Engaging in a Pattern of Corrupt Activity, Aggravated Trafficking in Drugs, Trafficking in Drugs, Aggravated Possession of Drugs, Possession of Marijuana with Specification, and Having Weapon While Under Disability. Those indicted were Shawn Forsythe, age 30, and Matthew Hughes, age 30. The two defendants would allegedly round up people to make trips to Florida numerous times over the course of nine months, where they would be treated for various pretend ailments at a pain clinic in Jacksonville, Florida. They would come back to Columbus with prescribed Oxycodone and Xanax, which would then be sold here upon their return. O’Brien commended CPD Detectives David M. Allen and Neil Hood for their diligent investigation of this case for over a year. “If convicted on all charges, the defendants face in excess of twenty years incarceration”, O’Brien stated.