A five-month long investigation into the illegal sale of prescription drugs resulted in the arrest of 10 suspects from across Knox County.
"This investigation started back in January," said Knox County Chief Deputy Derek Eubanks, adding that if often takes months to build a case against suspected dealers.
Eubanks, Sheriff John Pickard, and deputies Harold Mays and Chad Wagner executed arrest warrants across the county beginning Monday afternoon and ending Monday night.
By the end of the roundup, the following suspects had been lodged:
* Cassandra J. Miller, 26, Gray; first-degree trafficking in controlled substance
*Vernia D. Barton, 47, Corbin; first and third-degree trafficking in controlled substance
* Finley Shorter, 62, Corbin; third-degree trafficking in controlled substance
* Albert Mills Jr., 44, Corbin; second-degree trafficking in controlled substance
* Dewayne Mills, 40, Corbin; first and second-degree trafficking in controlled substance
* Tara Hines, 19, Corbin; first and third-degree trafficking in controlled substance
* Julie A. Kauffman, 34, Corbin, first and third-degree trafficking in controlled substance
* Jeff Taylor, 43, Corbin; first-degree trafficking in controlled substance
* Brian C. Hamilton, 32, Barbourville; second-degree trafficking in controlled substance
* Robert F. Hammons, 44, Flat Lick; first and third-degree trafficking in controlled substance
Eubanks explained that police were able to make controlled buys of prescription pills including Oxycontin, Oxycodone, Hydrocodone, Morphine, Xanax, Suboxone, Endocet, Diazepam, and Alprazolam.
He noted that many of the prescription pills being sold locally are coming in from Florida, adding that it takes time to build a case against a suspected dealer.
"Some people think you can just go out and arrest them but you can’t," he said.
All of the suspects were lodged in the Knox County Detention Center and are scheduled for arraignment Thursday in Knox District Court.
