An 81-year-old accused of being the "ringleader" of a narcotics and prescription drug ring says the allegations are "crap."
Police say 81-year-old Arthur Cox was at the head of a drug organization busted on Tuesday, according to the Smoking Gun.
The Seminole County, Fla. sweep netted 19 suspects, five of whom -- including Cox -- were accused of being "primary dealers."
Sheriff's office spokesman Kim Cannaday told WESH that those five would obtain prescription medication legally and then sell it "to people in the next level of the ring."
Cox maintains his innocence. "Listen, son, all this is a big bunch of crap,” he told The Smoking Gun. Cox admitted to the website that he had obtained Dilaudid, a narcotic painkiller, for his grandson Erick Blakely, who was also arrested in the bust. However, he says he never sold the medication to anyone.
Authorities, though, say they witnessed Cox selling $1,000 worth of the stuff.
Cox, along with 31-year-old Marvin Brown, 30-year-old John Killingsworth, 23-year-old Charnice Medlock, and 31-year-old Katrina Redden, were charged with attempting to traffic illegal drugs and conspiracy to sell drugs, according to CF News 13.
Eleven others, accused of purchasing drugs from the five dealers, were charged with solicitation to deliver controlled substances. Three more people were arrested on marijuana-related charges.
Investigation into the drug ring began in September 2012, after the City County Investigation Bureau started getting reports of regional drug activity.
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