Two doctors have been charged with selling prescriptions for powerful drugs to gang members who allegedly bought them with profits from thousands of residential burglaries committed in the South Bay and across Southern California, prosecutors said Monday.
Drs. Sonny Oparah, 75, of Long Beach and Edward Ridgill, 64, of Ventura surrendered Friday to federal authorities hours after Torrance police led some 400 police officers on raids in South Los Angeles that resulted in the arrests of 13 gang members allegedly involved in the burglary scheme.
The physicians face charges that could send them to prison for the rest of their lives.
“Operation Money Bags” resulted from nearly four years of investigation to not just arrest and prosecute suspected burglars, but tie their crimes to their gangs, using gang-related sentencing laws that could add years to their prison terms for the break-ins.
But it turned into much more.
HENRY KOTULA 