Update: 2 Olde Time Pharmacists Arrested

Updated 9:52 a.m. on Wednesday

The pharmacists at both Olde Time Pharmacy locations were arrested on Tuesday on racketeering charges out of DeKalb County, said Rick Allen, director for the Georgia Drugs and Narcotics Agency. 

Shad Southerland, pharmacist at the Sixes location, and Richard Noell, pharmacist at the Harmony on the Lakes location, were part of a seven-county pill mill bust that landed seven pharmacists in jail, Allen said.

Southerland and Noell's residences were both searched, but the pharmacies remain open to legitimate customers, Allen said.

There were 19 search warrants served in all as part of a RICO indictment of distributing illegal drugs, Allen said.

There are 90 pill mills in the state, Allen said. This particular ring is operated by a doctor out of Ft. Lauderdale, FL. When Florida laws changed, these doctors and their patients moved into Georgia. The pharmacists arrested were filling prescriptions for the doctors, Allen said. 

Allen describes this as an "epidemic of drug abuse" across the state.

"Our concern is that these drugs are all going back to Tennessee. It costs $1,000 to $2,000 to get these prescriptions filled. Then, they take them back other states to get cash money. They’re feeding the drug addicts in Kentucky, Ohio and Tennessee."

The Drug and Narcotics Agency worked with the Canton GBI and the DEA on these search warrants. 

Original Report

A search warrant was carried out at Olde Time Pharmacy in front of the Harmony on the Lakes subdivision, said Lt. Jay Baker with the

Sheriff's deputies were still allowing customers inside the store around 1 p.m. They said the DEA was in charge of the investigation, although calls to the DEA have not been returned as of yet. 

Last December,  responded to Olde Time Pharmacy on a call about fraud. According , Georgia Ann Hulsey was arrested and charged with fraud, sale of controlled substance and giving false identity information to a law enforcement officer.