New York State Bar Association Program Offers Rare Insight into Law Enforcement Strategies in Battling the Opioid Crisis
1.23.2025
A program offered by the Health Law Section during the association’s Annual Meeting this month offered rare insight into the latest strategies in combating the opioid epidemic, drawing on the work of the New York State Bar Association Opioid Task Force created by New York State Bar Association President Domenick Napolitano and chaired by Dr. Mary Beth Morrissey. The Task Force is reviewing and analyzing the crisis to produce a comprehensive strategy in a report expected later this year.
The program featured Task Force member and New York City Special Narcotics Prosecutor Bridget Brennan, and Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent in Charge for the New York Division, Frank Tarentino, plus experts in the field of government and treatment of substance use.
Robert Kent, the former general counsel for the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy and the New York State Office of Addiction Services and Supports and also a Task Force member, opened the panel with a brief history of how the epidemic started following the invention of extended-release forms of oxycontin and its wide use to treat acute pain. Kent shared new statistics showing a decrease in deaths from opioid overdoses over the last two years from its peak in 2022.
“The latest numbers from 2024 show that 94,000 people died. This is a decrease but it is by no means a success to lose that number of people,” he said..
Task Force Member Bridget Brennan heads the Special Narcotics Unit, which combats felony narcotics crime across all five New York City boroughs. With a staff of 200, she works closely with federal law enforcement to root out drug crimes in public areas such as Times Square and Harlem.
She highlighted the work of her prescription drug unit, which focuses on prosecuting doctors who use their position to prescribe or dispense large numbers of pills to otherwise healthy patients.
Working on tips from the public, her unit employs undercover officers, posing as patients, to root out licensed physicians doling out hundreds of pills for cash. Bergen says many physicians are bold enough to pass out price lists to customers who are lining up for their services.
“We are trying to get their license to practice taken away – not a criminal prosecution,” Brennan said.
The People v. Dr. Stan X. Li
Brennan shared the sobering story of her unit’s prosecution of Dr. Stan Li, a practicing anesthesiologist at a New York City area hospital who ran a drug business on the side. Her office received tips about dozens of young, healthy people lining up to see the doctor at a storefront office on Sundays in Flushing, Queens.
Her unit was able to convict Dr. Li of 224 counts including 2 counts of manslaughter. The case broke new ground as the first case to convict a prescriber of manslaughter for the drug overdose death of patients.” Evidence of doctor malpractice manslaughter was a viable count due to the [doctor’s] disregard for human life,” she said.
Brennan says the Li case came at a high cost. While the investigation was ongoing, one of Dr. Li’s patients, David Laffer, shot and killed four people in a pharmacy heist on Long Island.
“These crimes have terrible repercussions. It’s why we invest so much in these prosecutions.”
The Impact of Tele-health on Drug Trade
Tarentino focused his presentation on the intersection of new technology in healthcare and a greater access to dangerous drugs. The explosion in the use of telemedicine provides more outreach and convenience to patients, while also offering a gateway for disreputable physicians. Tarentino explained how doctors would see dozens of patients in a day, spending just a few minutes on a video or phone call, asking for little to no health history and prescribing them dangerous drugs.
“Doctors are using technology to provide substandard care, exploiting the technology for their own gain and harming others,” he said.
Tarentino warned those assembled to be wary of internet pharmacies promising fantastic deals on prescription drugs. Pills made from fentanyl powder are sold on websites from South Asian countries and the buyer is unaware of the real content and may overdose and die with just one dose. His office is also focused on education and awareness and implored the audience not to look for the cheapest price from an unknown provider.
“Get prescriptions from a trusted doctor at a known, reputable pharmacy,” he said. “Too many are dying too soon.”
Both Brennan and Tarentino acknowledged that treatment for those who are addicted to substances is a better option over incarceration. Brennan detailed a 40% decline in the New York State prison population since 1999, and a 53% decline in county jail populations in that same time period. Prison sentences from cases in the Special Narcotics Unit are down 91% since 1990. Remarking that any decline is good news, she said there is still work to be done.
“The question remains, how do we find the right balance?”
Ann-Marie Foster, President and CEO of Phoenix House of NY/LI and also Task Force member, presented the treatment side on the panel to highlight the ways in which a provider organization works with law enforcement to combat the opioid crisis.
“At Phoenix House, we consider the whole person. We offer 1:1 therapy, holistic wellness, and medication with clinical services to guarantee that a person who enters our program feels supported. Every person’s recovery journey is different — and that’s why we work with community collaborators, like law enforcement, to tackle this crisis together.”
