Drug Enforcement Administration raids Commerce Township medical office

(WXYZ) - The DEA says they executed a search warrant at an office in Commerce Township. Another office in Clinton Township was also raided today.

The Commerce Township raid happened a medical office on the 1900 block of Union Lake Road. The office belongs to Dr. Rajat Daniel. 

The Clinton Township raid happened at the practice of Richard V. Utarnachitt.

The DEA will not confirm anything beyond saying that a search was conducted. Sources are telling 7 Action News the raids are connected with the Canton Pharmacy case , a wide ranging federal investigation that led to the indictment of 26 medical professionals in 2011 .

At that time 20 pharmacies were raided by U.S. DEA agents across the state. That included Nobel Care Pharmacy on Lahser in Southfield, and another office in Warren.

They fell under the ownership of 49-year old Babubhai Patel of Canton. Patel was named as the ringleader in a massive drug and health care scheme that defrauded Medicare and Medicaid of almost $60 million dollars. Some private insurances companies were defrauded as well.

Among those named in the indictment at that time were 4 doctors, 12 pharmacists, 1 accountant and 1 psychologist.

Tuesday's raids were accompanied by the filing of a new superseding indictment with the United State District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, Southern Division.

This new 21 count indictment named 18 people, including both Daniel and Utarnachitt.

Patients arriving Tuesday at the Commerce Township medical office are telling 7 Action News that they were totally surprised by the raid.

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