Leader of opioid scheme that distributed 9.5M+ pills found guilty

The leader of an illegal pill distribution operation in Tennessee was found guilty Feb. 14, local CBS affiliate WVLT reports.

What you should know:

1. A jury found Sylvia Hofstetter, 51, guilty of distributing opioids without a legitimate medical purpose and money laundering.

2. Federal agents raided several pain clinics in East Tennessee that were owned and operated by Ms. Hofstetter in March 2015, local NBC affiliate 10News reports.

3. Agents tied Ms. Hofstetter and her clinics to more than 110,000 prescriptions over a less than four-year period between April 2011 and March 2015. When filled, the prescriptions resulted in more than 9.5 million pain pills and more than $17 million in illicit funds.

4. Investigators believe more than 30 people overdosed as a result of the opioids. Their deaths were incorporated into the trial.

5. Ms. Hofstetter was viewed as the mastermind of the whole operation. She will be sentenced at a later date.

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