Report: 14 charged in prescription drug ring

PEORIA, AZ - More than a dozen people have been charged for fraudulently filling stolen drug prescriptions around the Valley, officials said.

According to a release from Attorney General Terry Goddard's office, two of the ring's leaders, 24-year-old Tyler Jensen Deane and 31-year-old Leanne Dureivage, now face charges of participating in a criminal syndicate, fraudulent schemes and artifices, money laundering, forgery and drug-related charges.

An investigation by the Peoria Police Department and Attorney General's Office reportedly found that Dureivage had stolen blank prescription pads from the health care provider she worked for and sold them to Deane.

Deane then recruited 12 others to participate in filling the prescriptions for oxycodone, which he then sold. The group was reportedly responsible for obtaining at least 5,000 pills with a street value between $79,000 and $159,000.

"These offenses amounted to a serious abuse of prescription drugs, which is often overlooked problem in Arizona," Goddard said of the 84-count indictment. "Together with the help of the City of Peoria, the Attorney General's Office has, with this indictment, shown its commitment to stopping the illegal flow of these drugs."