Feds: Oxycodone scheme at Riverhead urgent care clinic leads to arrest of local physician assistant

An oxycodone scheme involving illegal prescriptions for thousands of pills was uncovered in a drug raid at a Riverhead urgent care clinic this morning, leading to the arrest of Michael Troyan, the physician assistant who operates the clinic, according to federal prosecutors.

In an undercover operation, Troyan was captured on video writing phony prescriptions for oxycodone, a highly addictive narcotic, and receiving “large quantities of cash” at his East Main Street clinic, according to a United States Attorney news release.

Troyan was allegedly receiving half of the profit from the sale of the pills, which can cost as much as $50 per tablet on the street.

The scheme, police said, has been ongoing since November 2011 at both of Troyan’s East End Urgent and Primary Care practices, located in Riverhead and Wading River.

“Troyan abused his authority to prescribe controlled substances and his position of trust as a physician assistant to illegally sell oxycodone in exchange for cash,” said Robert Capers, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, in the news release.

Federal agents executed a search warrant at Troyan’s Riverhead practice this morning, assisted by officers from a number of local agencies.

Troyan, 37, was arrested on charges of conspiring to illegally distribute oxycodone, which comes with a maximum sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment and a $1 million fine.

He is scheduled to be arraigned this afternoon in federal court at the U.S. Courthouse in Central Islip.

East End Urgent and Primary Care’s clinic on East Main Street was closed this afternoon. A paper sign taped to the door read, “Office is closed for the day. Sorry for any inconvenience.”

Oxycodone is a prescription pain medication with a chemical composition that is nearly identical to heroin. It is a powerful and highly addictive drug that creates a heroin-like euphoria when crushed into a powder and ingested.

“Cashing in on heroin’s hold over American communities, it is alleged that Michael Troyan wrote prescriptions to oxycodone dealers on the East End in exchange for half the cash profits from the resulting drug sales,” said James Hunt, Drug Enforcement Agency special agent.

Heroin addiction has reached near-epidemic levels on the East End in recent years. Lawmakers last spring formed an East End task force to specifically address the growing issue of heroin abuse in local communities.