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November 20, 2018

Sackler Family Could Face Criminal Investigation over Opioid Crisis
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The Guardian is reporting that members of the billionaire Sackler family
could soon face criminal investigations over their role in fueling
America's opioid epidemic. Prosecutors in Connecticut and New York are
considering charges of fraud and racketeering against the Sacklers,
whose company Purdue Pharma produces the prescription painkiller Oxy
Contin. Earlier this year, the New York Times reported Purdue executives
knew Oxy Contin was highly addictive as early as 1996, the first year
after the drug hit the market, but still promoted it as less addictive
than other opioids. A lead attorney taking on Purdue Pharma, Paul Hanly,
said of the Sacklers, "This is essentially a crime family … drug dealers
in nice suits and dresses." The Sacklers are known worldwide for their
patronage of the arts, and the Sackler name appears on museum
exhibitions, including the Met in New York and the Tate in London.


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