Community Corner

Southington Man Charged in Ongoing Investigation into 'Doctor Shopping'

A Berlin Avenue man is facing charges after police said he was one of many in town suspected of trafficking abused or diverted prescription narcotics.

The Southington Police Department is investigating a trend of abused and diverted narcotics sales and “doctor shopping” incidents in the community and the investigation led to the arrest of a Berlin Avenue man this week, police said Friday.

Christopher Quiroga, of 175 Berlin Ave., turned himself in to Southington police on July 9 after learning there was a warrant for his arrest, according to Sgt. Jeffrey Dobratz. He said the arrest is one of many expected as part of the ongoing investigation.

“This investigation is targeting abused and diverted prescription narcotics and individuals ‘doctor shopping’ specifically for prescription narcotics,” Dobratz said.

“Doctor shopping” is defined as the act of seeing multiple doctors at the same time without coordinating care or informing the doctors. It’s typically seen in cases where an individual is seeking prescription drugs for recreational use or to sell.

A police report said Quiroga, 42, was identified as a potential abuser and seller of Oxycodone during the investigation run through the Southington Narcotics Enforcement Team. Detectives obtained a search warrant for his home in May and seized additional evidence tying him to incidents of “doctor shopping” in the community.

As part of the search, Quiroga was found in possession of multiple prescriptions of Oxycodone, according to the police report.

Quiroga was taken into custody on July 9 on four separate warrants and is facing charges including four counts of possession of a controlled substance and illegal cultivation of a controlled substance. He was released after posting a $25,000 bond.

According to court records, Quiroga is already facing three separate counts of sale of certain illegal drugs stemming from a May arrest. He has entered a not guilty plea to those charges.

Police said the investigation is ongoing and could lead to additional charges. Detectives are also expecting to obtain warrants for separate arrests as the investigation continues.

Quiroga is due in Bristol Superior Court on July 22 to answer to the latest charges.

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