Sheboygan County DA says VA has lagged in drug-dealing probe

MADISON (AP) — A Wisconsin district attorney says the Department of Veterans Affairs has moved too slowly in its investigation of interstate drug distribution.

Sheboygan County District Attorney Joe DeCecco in a letter Thursday said a California VA facility lagged in its probe of a veteran who dealt VA-prescribed opiates through the U.S. Postal Service.

DeCecco said the Wisconsin Department of Justice and the Division of Criminal investigation launched a probe in 2013 after they were notified that the man shipped packages of marijuana to Sheboygan County. He said the VA prescribed the supplier, a military veteran, as many as 600 oxycodone pills a month. An inspector in California said he wouldn't conclude his investigation for a year.

A spokeswoman from the VA didn't immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday.