We were first to arrive as drug enforcement agents raided offices on nearly every floor of an office building on Bissonnet at Woodfair Drive. It's one of several locations in a major 'pill mill' investigation.
On the first floor agents boxed up and sifted through hundreds of bottles of pills seized at a pharmacy. A few floors up a pain clinic was raided, and we spotted several people handcuffed and under arrest.
"We are relieved," said eyewitness Norman Mitchell. "We are very happy."
The non-profit agency Bee Busy Run is a clinic and wellness center in the same office building where state and local agents spent the day raiding neighboring pharmacies, pain clinics and doctors' offices. Tenants say they've suspected some of these shops have been running illegal pill mill operations in this building for months.
Mitchell said, "You've got anywhere from 100 to 200 folks that come in. They are getting medications. They are leaving. They are selling the medications on the streets."
All morning we watched undercover agents boxing up evidence at medical offices on nearly every floor of three buildings on the 9800 block of Bissonnet. Drug enforcement agents told me a large volume of complaints that those offices were illegally prescribing or dispensing powerful drugs led to the search warrants.
"It's extremely frustrating," said eyewitness Darcy Padgett. "Can't find a parking space in the morning because of the influx of people that are here. As well as they are poisoning the community. There is no difference between them and the average drug dealer."
Agents aren't giving up too many details into the investigation right now, but they did confirm those people arrested during Monday's sting had outstanding warrants.
Investigators tell me this remains and ongoing investigation.
