How a Florida Pain Clinic Became America's Biggest Pill Mill

At the height of Florida's opioid epidemic, Derik was helping run a massive pill mill operation that brought in as much as $300,000 a day, saw 500 patients daily, and generated an estimated $40 million before the feds shut it down. With dozens of doctors, thousands of customers traveling from across America, and an endless demand for oxycodone, the business became a multimillion-dollar empire operating in plain sight. Derik reveals how doctors were recruited, how patients obtained hundreds of prescription pain pills at a time, and how he once moved 100,000 pills in a deal worth over $1 million. But the money came with consequences. As the FBI closed in, Derik found himself facing federal racketeering charges and a 20-year prison sentence. Derik takes us inside the rise and fall of Florida's notorious pill mill industry, revealing the unbelievable profits, corruption, violence, and chaos behind one of the darkest chapters of America's opioid crisis. He also opens up about his deeply traumatic childhood, the family tragedies that shaped him, and what it took to rebuild his life after prison. From making millions selling prescription opioids to losing everything in federal prison, this is a firsthand account of the American opioid epidemic from someone who helped fuel it. This Episode Is #Sponsored By The Following: Hims! Ready to be him? Visit https://hims.com/connect to get personalized, affordable care for weight loss, hair loss, sex, testosterone, and more. Prescription products require an online consultation with a licensed healthcare provider who will determine if a prescription is appropriate. Restrictions apply. Individual results may vary.  *Based on a survey of Hims customers. See https://hims.com for full details. PrizePicks! Visit https://prizepicks.onelink.me/LME0/CO... and use code CONNECT and get $150 if you win your first $5 lineup! Join The Patreon For Bonus Content!   / theconnectshow   Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6mc4qAx... Join this channel to get access to perks:    / @theconnectpod   0:00 - Inside the $40 Million Florida Pill Mill Empire 5:16 - Where Did the Missing $15 Million Go? 12:26 - Running Clinics With 27,000 Patients 19:57 - 45-Second Doctor Visits and Roxy 30s 26:07 - MRI Kickbacks and the Business Behind the Pills 30:06 - This Episode Is Sponsored By Hims 31:39 - Derek's Childhood and Troubled Family History 38:20 - Childhood Violence and His Father's Arrest 44:52 - Growing Up Around the Mafia 52:32 - A Second Devastating Family Tragedy 59:50 - How Tragedy Tore His Family Apart 1:06:07 - Meeting the George Brothers and Building Houses 1:12:18 - The Steroid Business That Started It All 1:16:24 - This Episode Is Sponsored By PrizePicks 1:18:37 - How Derek Got Into the Pain Clinic Business 1:25:26 - Inside Florida's Wild West of Prescriptions 1:32:47 - Why Florida Became the Pill Mill Capital 1:40:59 - How the FBI First Discovered the Operation 1:47:42 - Recruiting Doctors and Growing the Empire 1:54:53 - Violence, Trouble, and Expanding the Clinic 2:01:24 - The Chaotic Clinic Gets a Police Visit 2:08:30 - Greedy Doctors and Stolen Patients 2:15:17 - Hiring a Doctor Who Sold Drugs From His Trunk 2:22:06 - Big-Time Pill Buyers and Million-Dollar Deals 2:29:05 - The Drug Laws and Who Really Profited 2:36:21 - Why the Federal Government Went After Them 2:42:05 - The Rival Jacksonville Pill Clinic 2:49:04 - A Gunpoint Confrontation Ends in Arrests 2:56:09 - How the Feds Built Their Case 3:03:19 - Cooperating Witnesses and Allegations Against Derek 3:09:31 - The Plea Deal, Prison Sentence, and Life After