People v. Tracy CA3

BACKGROUND

Between November 2011 and January 2012, defendant made numerous visits to a variety of doctors and health clinics. He sought and received a number of prescriptions for oxycodone. In January 2012, Dr. Blosser of the Tehama Health Clinic conducted a search of the Department of Justice database and discovered that in the preceding six months, defendant had seen five different doctors for pain medications and received refills from four different pharmacies. Following a search, officers found text messages on defendant’s phone that appeared to be about making arrangements for drug transactions. Neighbors observed many visitors to defendant’s home at all times of the day and night. These visitors usually stayed a few minutes to 20 minutes. One neighbor, Michael Cheso, saw defendant sell prescription drugs like OxyContin to numerous people. Defendant had also suggested Cheso could raise money quickly by going to defendant’s doctor, getting a prescription for OxyContin and then selling the pills. Cheso had a prior felony conviction, and he and defendant had a history of bad relations. In February 2012, the Shasta County Interagency Narcotics Task Force, pursuant to a search…