Well this is awkward. Last night police detained Talya Ben-Eliezer, 39-year-old daughter of former Israeli defense minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer, at JFK on an outstanding "no-bail warrant" out of Florida. The dual American-Israeli citizen was booked as a "fugitive from justice" on a drug charge from the Sunshine State reportedly to do with some oxycontin she bought without the proper prescription. more ›

After pushing for tighter restrictions of prescribed narcotics and attempting to block a "super painkiller" ten times more powerful than Vicoden, Senator Chuck Schumer wants to allocate $140 million in federal funding towards developing a test that would catch drivers who are under the influence of drugs. "If people next year knew they'd be tested for drugged driving just like they are tested for drunk driving, it might deter them from doing it to begin with and save lives," Schumer told the AP. more ›

Yesterday afternoon, a robbery suspect and off-duty ATF agent were fatally shot in a confrontation that also included an off-duty NYPD police officer and an off-duty Nassau County police lieutenant. The off-duty law enforcement officials were trying to stop the suspect on a Seaford, Long Island street, and it's not clear yet who fired the fatal shots. more ›

New York (well, Nyack, NY) band Coheed and Cambria is getting some press today on account of their bassist robbing a Walgreens prior to their gig opening up for Soundgarden. This all went down yesterday at 1 p.m. prior to their show in Attleboro, Mass, when Michael Todd walked into the store, showed a pharmacist a cell phone note that said he had a bomb, and demanded Oxycontin. According to TMZ his plan nearly worked, he made off with six bottles of the painkiller and was whisked away by a cab. more ›

The city seems to have had an oxycodone problem for some time now, with one borough issued one prescription per every four or five inhabitants. And according to new data from the Office of Special Narcotics (below), that trend shows no signs of slowing down. About 13% of the city's population has a prescription for the painkiller, a number that has doubled in the past three years. "The public flat out needs to be better informed about how widespread the problem is and how dangerously addictive these substances are," said the city's special narcotics prosecutor, Bridget Brennan. "It's pure opium. And that's an addictive drug. It's nothing to be played with." more ›

Perry Moore, an executive producer of the Chronicles of Narnia trilogy as well as an author and director, was found dead yesterday in the apartment he shared with his boyfriend. Initial reports indicate the 39-year-old died of an oxycontin overdose. more ›

Last April, an 18-year-old woman was behind the wheel of a passenger van when she jumped a curb, drove the vehicle into a house and killed the 69-year-old homeowner who was working on her home's landscaping in Hempstead, Long Island. Kayla Gerdes, allegedly high on Oxycontin and Xanax at the time, turned down a plea deal yesterday that would have put her in prison for 10 years. The pre-trial hearing also revealed what Gerdes told a cop about victim Rebecca Twine Wright, "She looked up at me at the last second, but she was too old to get out of the way." more ›

We're just going to go ahead and call him Doc Oxy. 83-year-old Felix Lanting was busted yesterday for writing 3,029 oxycodone prescriptions from his home in Staten Island, making him at least partially responsible for the borough having the highest prescription rate in the city. One source told the Post, "He was kind of a free-wheeling prescription shop. If you wanted a prescription, you saw him." more ›

On October 10th, a man with a gun reportedly entered a CVS on Smith Street and passed the pharmacist a note saying, "Put all your Oxycontin in this bag! Keep quiet!" He flashed a gun, but fled on his bike without the pills. However, two days later cops stopped him for riding his bike on the sidewalk on Fourth Place, and found he was carrying an imitation gun and a knife. The pharmacist ID'd him, and he was charged with menacing, robbery in the second degree, and riding a bicycle on the sidewalk. That's why we always take the subway when commuting to our robberies. more ›

The man who apparently allowed an unlicensed and allegedly high 18-year-old to take the wheel of a passenger van—she then crashed the van into a Hempstead house, killing its owner—has spoken out, through a lawyer, about the fatal incident. Brian Steele's lawyer Michael DerGarabedian told Newsday (subscription required), "Mr. Steele is also grateful the operator of the car, Kayla Gerdes, and her attorney, by virtue of both their many statements released to the press earlier this week, has accepted responsibility for her actions. Mr. Steele hopes that Ms. Gerdes gets the help that her attorney claims she desperately needs to become a productive member of society." more ›

The mother of 18-year-old Kayla Gerdes who jumped a curb and drove a passenger van into a Hempstead home— fatally striking the home's 69-year-old owner—defended her daughter yesterday. Tara Gerdes told Inside Edition, "It's your worst nightmare as a parent to have this happen. They're portraying her as a horrible teenaged girl who doesn't care, could care less. It's so not true." more ›

Police say a wild fight broke out on West 179th Street at 1 p.m. Thursday afternoon after Kevin Hernandez, 49, and his 18-year-old son Joseph tried to buy five pounds of weed from two dealers in a McDonald's near the George Washington Bridge. The Post reports that when the pair tried to pay for the herb with $3,500 in (probably pretty obviously) counterfeit cash, the dealers bounced. But the Hernandezes didn't appreciate this one bit, and proceeded to chase them down West 179th Street, where the father allegedly stabbed one of the dealers in the hand. more ›

The 18-year-old woman who drove a passenger van into a house—killing its owner—in Hempstead on Tuesday was admitted to the Nassau County jail's medical ward. Kayla Gerdes was allegedly high on Oxycontin and Xanax, which police say contributed to the crash, while Gerdes' lawyer doesn't think his client was high (she did tell reporters that she was on prescription drugs), saying instead that his client mistook the accelerator for the brakes. But she really wanted to know what she looked like on the news! more ›

The 18-year-old who was allegedly high on Oxycontin and Xanax when she drove a passenger van into a Hempstead, Long Island home, fatally striking the home's owner, was hysterical when taken out of the police station yesterday. Kayla Gerdes screamed to reporters, "No, I didn't [purposely aim for her.] Listen, stop -- listen, it was an accident! Please leave me, alone it was a mistake! Stop it was a mistake! No, I was on prescription drugs, it was a mistake! Stop! Leave me alone!" (Video below.) But she reportedly told police investigators, "The thing that made me feel not so bad was she was old," referring to victim Rebecca Twine-Wright, "I mean, 70 years is a long time to live." more ›

Cops broke up a major drug ring and arrested fifty suspected dealers operating out of a Far Rockaway housing project. After making 174 undercover purchases in six months, police raided the Hammel Houses, the Post reports. According to the Daily News, officers cuffed 45 suspects including members of the Bloods, Crips, and Money Over Bitches gangs. Police seized 41 bags of crack, 230 bags of marijuana, and smaller amounts of heroin and Oxycontin. Ten of the suspects had been arrested in a bust two years ago, and police continue to search for 13 other suspects. Queens Narcotics Capt. Thomas Marren says cops will pay close attention to the nearby Carleton Manor housing project so the dealers can't easily relocate. more ›

According to People.com, an autopsy shows that celebrity DJ Adam Goldstein had eight Oxycontin pills in his stomach and one in his mouth—a source said, "He wanted to die. He was going unconscious when he took the last one. He didn't even swallow it." A Valentine from his ex-girlfriend Hayley Wood was allegedly found near him (though she denies they broke up); a bag of crack was also reportedly near his body, which was found in his Soho apartment. TMZ reports that Goldstein's funeral was scheduled for today. Additionally, his mother was made the special administrator of his estate (he did not have a will), allowing her to sell his home in LA (there was an offer on it) and settle lawsuits related to the 2008 plane crash he survived. The site adds that documents showed his "annual income from property at $3.5 million, plus an additional $400,000 in assets. The docs list his debts at $2.9 million." more ›

UPDATE: Everybody listen up! Mary-Kate Olsen has just issued a statement:

Despite tabloid speculation, Mary-Kate Olsen had nothing whatsoever to do with the drugs found in Heath Ledger's home or his body, and she does not know where he obtained them. more ›

Rudy Giuliani's good financial fortune derived from the formation of Giuliani Partners is leading to political misfortune, as yet another piece of lucrative business he conducted in the private sector has come back to haunt his candidacy. Recently, his involvement with Purdue Pharma--the producers of the painkiller OxyContin--has come under scrutiny. more ›