Staff Writer

A Casselberry doctor who practices in Poinciana turned himself in to the Osceola County Jail Thursday in connection with a drug trafficking prescription operation he ran out of his office.

Dr. Jose Menendez, 45, often called “Dr. M,” was charged with one count of conspiracy to traffic the pain-reliever Oxycodone, a first-degree felony. He was booked into the jail with zero bond.

Osceola County Sheriff Bob Hansell said his officers, in conjunction with other agencies, are focused on “pill mills because of what it is doing to the community.” Hansell emphasized drug trafficking is an issue in Florida no matter what drug is being distributed.

“It's a dope operation. It's no different than a cocaine operation,” he said.

A search warrant at Menendez's employer, Physicians Care Partners Inc., at 3358 N. Southport Road in Poinciana, was exercised Thursday.

The investigation began in May after officers received a tip about a drug trafficking operation. On Oct. 26, undercover officers arrested two suspects, Tyrone Anderson and William Frank Sellers, coming through Osceola County. The officers found 56 prescriptions for 18 separate patients, all of which were written by Menendez, according to the Sheriff's Office.

Based on the arrests, agents obtained two search warrants in Sarasota County, where Williams and Sellers live. Officers took into evidence 8 pounds of marijuana, two firearms, one bulletproof vest and cash. Hundreds of empty pill bottles were found along with approximately 2,000 pills, 200 of which were Oxycodone, most of which listed Menendez as the prescribing doctor.

Other charges are pending due to the ongoing investigation.