3 arrested, accused of running pill mill at Pace Pharmacy: FDLE

Yahoo

15-05-2025

PACE, Fla. (WKRG) — Two pharmacists and a pharmacy office manager are accused of running a pill mill at Pace Pharmacy.
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According to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Pace Pharmacy Pharmacists Stephen Allen Burklow and David Barron Winkles, and Pharmacy Office Manager Monique Burklow were arrested and are accused of conspiring to traffic prescription drugs.
An FDLE news release said they trafficked over 22 kilograms or 48 pounds of oxycodone, over 26 kilograms or 57 pounds of hydrocodone and just under one kilogram of hydromorphone.
Stephen Burklow and Monique Burklow own Pace Pharmacy, LLC, according to FDLE.
'In our communities, there is no room for criminals that greedily profit from the opioid epidemic by trafficking illicit drugs under the guise of a legitimate pharmacy,' FDLE Pensacola Special Agent in Charge Chris Williams said. 'I am proud of the complex and dedicated work demonstrated by FDLE's agents, crime intelligence analysts and forensic scientists, the Santa Rosa County Sheriff's Office investigators, and the work of all of our partners to get these thugs off our streets.'
Stephen, 54, is accused of conspiracy to traffic oxycodone, conspiracy to traffic hydrocodone, conspiracy to traffic hydromorphone, conspiracy to commit racketeering, conspiracy to commit money laundering, conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud and five counts of identity theft.
Winkles, 69, is accused of conspiracy to traffic schedule II-controlled substances and conspiracy to commit racketeering.
Monique, 58, was arrested on conspiracy to commit racketeering, conspiracy to commit money laundering and conspiracy to sell controlled substances.
The FDLE investigation began in December 2020 when investigators learned Dr. Elaine Sharp, a local obstetrician-gynecologist, was writing an excessive amount of controlled substance prescriptions and recommended her patients to Pace Pharmacy.
According to FDLE agents, the Burklows and Winkles accepted and dispensed illicit prescriptions outside of their professional practice and were not intended for medical purposes.
'Mr. Burklow, through the Pace Pharmacy, billed multiple insurance companies, using various physicians' National Provider Identifier (NPI) numbers without their knowledge or consent to do so, for prescriptions that may or may not have been provided to patients,' the FDLE release said.
The Burklows and Winkles were arrested and booked into the Santa Rosa County Jail.
This investigation included FDLE, the Santa Rosa County Sheriff's Office, the Florida Department of Health, the Florida Highway Patrol, the Florida Department of Financial Services, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and Homeland Security Investigations.
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The investigation remains active.
Alexa Daly contributed to this story.
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