Ohio AG: Painkiller ring search warrants executed

February 2, 2012 at 2:00p.m.

COLUMBUS (AP) — Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine says search warrants have been executed in an investigation into alleged painkiller trafficking in central Ohio.

DeWine planned a news conference for later today to discuss the case in Circleville, about 25 miles south of Columbus.

The attorney general has made a statewide crackdown on illegal prescription painkiller abuse a top priority, including the hiring of a painkiller czar and devoting extra resources to the fight.

Drug overdoses fueled by painkiller addiction are now the leading cause of accidental death in Ohio, surpassing car accidents.