Woodbridge Police Aided In Arrest Of 5 In Cough Syrup Ring

WOODBRIDGE, NJ — Woodbridge Police were involved in investigating a ring of five people who broke into medical offices across New Jersey and stole prescription pads in order to obtain opioid cough syrup.

The five people were charged this week in an 80-count indictment.

Their prescription drug theft scheme spanned 11 New Jersey counties, says the NJ Attorney General.

The five people alleged in the scheme are Divinete Jeffries, 30, of East Orange; Kevin Lucanto, 48, of Paterson; Akeem Adelekan, 28, of East Orange; Otto Lachenauer, 43, of Westfield; and Satia Salters, 25, of East Orange.

“These defendants conspired to unlawfully gain entry to doctors’ offices, steal prescription blanks and forge physicians’ signatures, in order to acquire a cough syrup commonly used as an ingredient in a dangerous narcotic cocktail,” said First Assistant Attorney General Lyndsay Ruotolo.

“Medical offices in various parts of the state, including Wayne, Morristown and Bridgewater, were targeted for burglary while pharmacists across the state were misled by these defendants into filling invalid prescriptions,” said Interim Insurance Fraud Prosecutor Al Garcia.

The case was primarily investigated by the NJ Office of the Insurance Fraud Prosecutor — Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, but police in the following towns aided: Brick, Edison, Wayne, Toms River, Bridgewater, Paramus, Tinton Falls, Newton, Sparta, Woodbridge and Morristown.