BURLINGTON – Chief Thomas P. Browne is pleased to report that Burlington Detective Paul Callahan was recognized by the U.S. Department of Justice for his work on a drug investigation as part of a federal task force.
Detective Callahan, a 19-year veteran of the Burlington Police Department, was one of about 30 recipients recognized at the Moakley Federal Courthouse in Boston on Oct. 26. Awardees were nominated by Assistant U.S. Attorneys working in Boston.
Detective Callahan, who has served on the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency’s Tactical Diversion Squad task force for 14 years, and former task force officer Lt. Christopher Jones of the Marshfield Police Department earned the DOJ’s Investigative Achievement Award for their work on an investigation into a local doctor who illegally prescribed more than 110,000 Adderall pills in exchange for cash payments.
In a months-long investigation, Detective Callahan and Lt. Jones worked with other federal task force members to document the distribution of Adderall by a doctor who billed herself as an addiction treatment specialist. The doctor accepted cash payments for prescribing Adderall to individuals without a medical need, and to individuals who were not her patients.
“She provided her employees with her prescription pad and instructed them to write illicit prescriptions for anyone who could make the necessary payment,” federal prosecutors wrote in a detailed account of the investigation.
Detective Callahan and others used the Massachusetts Prescription Monitoring Program, undercover drug buys, search warrants, and other investigative tools to build a case against the doctor, who was convicted and sentenced to seven years in federal prison. Two codefendants who cooperated with the investigation were sentenced to one and two years in prison, respectively.
“Working with federal task forces gives the Burlington Police Department access to resources and investigative tools we would otherwise not have, and we are pleased that our officers can make significant contributions to public safety across the state,” said Chief Browne. “Detective Callahan is a dedicated and diligent investigator and we are proud that he represents the Burlington Police Department with distinction.”