Tiffany Hammack, 45, faces 31 counts of obtaining a controlled substance by fraud or forgery and 30 counts of trafficking opium.
Agent C.L. Dixon of the City County Drug Task Force said auditing practices brought the matter to light and to the attention of law enforcement.
Roanoke Rapids police Chief Chuck Hasty said in a statement the task force was contacted on September 21 that a medical assistant at a local doctor’s office was allegedly writing and filling prescriptions.
Dixon and Special Agent Paul Munson of the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation’s Diversion and Environmental Crimes Unit were assigned the case.
Hasty said investigation shows between November 11 of last year and September 13, Hammack wrote and filled prescriptions in the names of family members to reportedly obtain drugs for her own use.
Investigation found approximately 31 prescriptions had been written and filled at local pharmacies throughout the area.
Hasty said this afternoon the case, which remains under investigation, shows how prevalent the opioid problem in the area is. “We’ve got a big opioid problem whether it’s prescription or heroin and this case shows the lengths people will go to get those drugs.”
Hammack received a $200,000 bond and January 25 court date.