Big Brother Winner Nabbed for Peddling Oxy

Staten Island leads the way

(NEWSER) - New York City's special narcotics prosecutor unveiled some eye-popping numbers about prescription drugs in the Big Apple, according to the Wall Street Journal :

• One million prescriptions for the pain reliever oxycodone—the generic name for Oxycontin—were filled in 2010. That's enough for 1 in 8 residents of the five boroughs, or 13% of the population.
• The percentage is 28% in Staten Island. Add in Vicodin, and it's 33%.
• The 1 million figure has doubled since 2007.

Oxycodone sellers licked

(NEWSER) - In New York City's Staten Island, oxycodone addicts were more enthusiastic than little kids about the arrival of the Lickety Split ice cream truck: Some 31 people have been indicted for running a drug ring that investigators say used the ice cream truck to sell the addictive prescription painkiller—and that pulled in $1 million, reports the New York Daily News . More»

Agency collecting expired, unwanted meds Saturday

(NEWSER) - You know that 6-year-old bottle of antibiotics sitting in your medicine cabinet left over from that really bad case of strep throat? The DEA wants it. No, really. This Saturday, it's offering Americans a chance to safely dump their expired or unwanted prescription meds in what it's calling a "collaborative effort to remove potentially dangerous controlled substances from our nation’s medicine cabinets," reports Fast Company. To find a location near you, click here . More»

And one member beat up fiancée, too!

(NEWSER) - Two former Big Brother contestants parlayed their reality show alliance into a real-life drug ring, and now they’re paying the price. Adam Jasinski, who won season nine, allegedly used his $500,000 prize to get into the oxycodone game, and was arrested in October. Yesterday, his former housemate and ally Matthew McDonald was also indicted for allegedly participating in the ring, TMZ reports. More»

(NEWSER) - Michael Jackson's personal doctor lacks a license to prescribe controlled medicines in California, federal authorities tell Fox News. Conrad Murray didn't register with the DEA in the singer's home state, officials say, meaning it would have been illegal for him to prescribe or administer Demerol, OxyContin, or even strong cough syrup to Jackson. More»