In October 2018, the Justice Department’s Criminal Division created the Appalachian Regional Prescription Opioid (ARPO), Strike Force. This team consists of federal agents, prosecutors, and specialists from different government departments. Together, they combine data analytics and law enforcement to spot dangerous prescription patterns and quickly remove bad actors from the Application Region.

In its early operation, the ARPO Strike Force brought charges against 60 individuals. Combined, those charged wrote 350,000 prescriptions, supplying 24,000 patients with 32 million pills. With their collaboration, the ARPO Strike Force has streamlined several years worth of traditional work, in a matter of months.

Joining us today is Joe Beemsterboer, Sr. Deputy Chief of the Fraud Section of the Department of Justice. Together we discuss the inner workings of this data-driven program that gets results.

Tune in this week for a detailed look at this revolutionary program, dedicated to ending the opioid epidemic as soon as possible.