Florida doctor arrested, accused of running deadly 'pill mill'

NORTHWEST FLORIDA (WKRG) — A doctor from Northwest Florida accused of running a deadly "pill mill" out of her office has been arrested, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement has announced.

In a news release, the FDLE said agents had arrested 72-year-old Dr. Elaine Cecile Sharp of Pensacola Beach for murder, manslaughter, and racketeering after a multiyear investigation of an illegal drug ring accused of dealing narcotics and opioids in Northwest Florida.

Dr. Sharp is also accused of unlawfully prescribing for monetary gain, unlawfully prescribing medications that were not medically necessary, conspiracy trafficking of oxycodone 100 grams or more, conspiracy trafficking of hydromorphone 28 grams or more, conspiracy trafficking of hydrocodone 100 grams or more, and money laundering.

FDLE began investigating in February 2021 after several area pharmacists complained about the large amounts of oxycodone being prescribed.

As part of their investigation, the FDLE said it determined Dr. Sharp was responsible for running a "pill mill" out of her Gulf Breeze office, and that several of her patients overdosed after taking the drugs she prescribed. Agents also said Dr. Sharp, an OB-GYN, began prescribing opioids in 2017 and operated a cash-only business.

Investigators sent undercover agents into Dr. Sharp's office and were reportedly easily able to get pills after barely receiving an examination, documents show.

From 2021 to 2022, authorities noted a significant increase in prescriptions for controlled substances issued by Dr. Sharp's office, with several pharmacists allegedly refusing to fill prescriptions from her.

“Shutting down this pill mill unquestionably made our community safer," FDLE Pensacola Special Agent in Charge Chris Williams said. "We know this drug ring, led by Dr. Elaine Sharp, was a major contributor of illegal drugs flowing into our neighborhoods and even attracting drug dealers from throughout the Southeast looking for an easy way to obtain these drugs.”

Several suspects who sold drugs prescribed by Sharp were also arrested while one remains at large. FDLE said most suspects sold 120 oxycodone pills monthly with no legitimate medical need.

The Escambia County and Santa Rosa County sheriff's offices and the Drug Enforcement Administration worked on the case, officials said.