OJAI – When Ojai police were called to a non-fatal overdose involving heroin, on July 23, 2017, investigating officers called in the Ventura County Interagency Pharmaceutical Crimes Unit (PCU) which consists of local and state investigators who investigate, among other things, overdoses due to illicit and prescription drug use.OJAI – When Ojai police were called to a non-fatal overdose involving heroin, on July 23, 2017, investigating officers called in the Ventura County Interagency Pharmaceutical Crimes Unit (PCU) which consists of local and state investigators who investigate, among other things, overdoses due to illicit and prescription drug use.
“This task force includes investigators from the California Department of Health Care Services and the Medical Board of California and it has a good track record of finding the individuals who are selling prescription drugs out on the street, as well as illicit drugs,” said California Statewide Law Enforcement Association (CSLEA) President Alan Barcelona. “Any time you can combine resources and expertise, with a dedication to solving a problem, you can make a difference.”
As a result of the Ojai police and PCU investigation, the suspect who allegedly provided heroin to the overdose victim was identified as Nancy Mansell, 54, of Ventura. Mansell was arrested on July 26th and arraigned on July 28th on one count of “sales of a controlled substance.”
The Ventura County Interagency Pharmaceutical Crimes Unit is a task force made up of members from the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office, Thousand Oaks Police Department, the California Highway Patrol, the Ventura Police Department, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Health Quality Investigation Unit of the California Division of Investigation, and the California Department of Health Care Services. The primary mission of the task force is combatting the transfer of legal prescription medication to the illegal market. In addition, the task force works to identify and stop new trends of abuse among the younger population and investigates overdoses due to both prescription medication and illicit drug use.
