News Flash

As members of the Dubuque Drug Task Force in 2003, Lt. Digman and Lt. Haupert began an investigation into the illegal distribution of pharmaceutical drugs over the internet being conducted from the back room of a Dubuque pharmacy. This investigation uncovered a national network of illegal prescription drug sales being facilitated over the internet through fraudulent prescriptions approved by physicians having no contact with the patients they were authorizing prescriptions for. The Drug Enforcement Administration, Internal Revenue Service, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and other local jurisdiction police agencies joined in the national investigation, which was subsequently termed “Operation Web Drugs” and became a United States Department of Justice Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDEFT) investigation.
At this year’s Department of Justice OCDETF conference held in Washington D.C. July 22-24, the “Operation Web Drugs” investigation was recognized with a special award as the Outstanding Innovative Pharmaceutical Investigation. Lt. Digman and Lt. Haupert were honored at the conference for their role in initiating the investigation that became “Operation Web Drugs” and their work throughout the case following up leads and developing evidence leading to the conviction of 26 defendants and the forfeiture of over $7 million dollars in assets.

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