"We continue to have problems with legitimate drugs getting on the street. This is something we feel like we can't turn our back on."

It's what Phil Price says of the multi-agency effort in northern metro Atlanta that has now led to indictments of five people - and the arrests of five others - in schemes to buy opioids at pharmacies and sell them on the street. Price is commander of the Cherokee Multi-Agency Narcotics Squad.

"We've seen an uptick in this event of individuals working in groups and going out and passing either forged or fraudulent prescriptions to get opioids," Price tells WSB Radio.

On August 14 of this year, a task force agent was contacted by a pharmacist at a Walgreens in Canton. "Two individuals came down from New York state and were passing fraudulent prescriptions they told us they got off the dark web," says Price. "Those individuals were able to, by passing these fraudulent prescriptions, get a number of prescription Oxycodone."

Authorities say 39-year-old Lizette Pabellon was trying to get the fake prescriptions filled in the store. Her associate in the parking lot, 40-year-old Dylan Paul Dessasore, was found with fake prescriptions from metro Atlanta doctors' offices, along with a number of fraudulent driver's licenses.

Price says a similar scheme played-out October 5 at a Woodstock Walgreens with three other suspects, since arrested.

On October 8, five other people were indicted to end a year-long investigation into another prescription fraud ring. Four individuals from Canton and one from Woodstock. "They were going from pharmacy to pharmacy using fraudulent prescriptions and fraudulent ID cards, to obtain Oxycodone, Vyvanse, Xanax, and Phentermnie," says Price.

He says criminals can sell to people on the street for big profit. And for those buying the opioids from them, "without going to a doctor, without going to a drugstore, they can get opioids on the street because they believe that's a pharmaceutical tablet that is safe."

The Cherokee Multi-Agency Narcotics Squad has been in operation since 1993, and now includes law enforcement agencies from Canton, Woodstock, Holly Springs, Ball Ground, and Cherokee County. Price says if their work can save one life, it's worth it.