CESAR ARIAS

Cesar Arias graduated with a Bachelors degree in Pharmacy from the University of Florida in 1977 and has been a registered pharmacist in Florida since. He worked as a practicing pharmacist in retail pharmacy from 1977 to 1987. In June of 1987 Cesar became a Drug Agent Supervisor for the Florida Department of Health, Bureau of Statewide Pharmaceutical Services. Among his duties were to supervise drug agents under his command and to regulate the pharmaceutical manufacturers and wholesalers in South Florida.

In April of 2001, Cesar and partner Dr. Gene Odin were the first investigators in the nation to discover counterfeit Neupogen in the U.S. drug supply. He was instrumental in educating law enforcement agencies and prosecutors which led to the formation of the Operation Stonecold Task Force. This resulted in the uncovering of drug counterfeit rings operating in the South Florida area. One group was responsible for the counterfeiting of Epogen and Procrit and another was a group responsible for counterfeiting Lipitor in Costa Rica and introducing it into the U.S drug supply nationwide.

Operation Stonecold led to drastic changes to Florida law, which now has been adopted by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy as a model for the rest of the states. In the summer of 2003, Cesar testified before the U.S. Energy and Commerce Subcommittee regarding the importance of Pedigree Papers in combating counterfeits in the drug supply. He has also testified in State and Federal Court cases on numerous occasions as an expert witness involving drug distribution and pharmacy law.

GENE ODIN

Gene, Odin, after completing three years of active duty in the Marine Corps, enrolled in the School of Pharmacy at the University of Buffalo where he received his Bachelors Degree. For the next ten years Gene worked in retail pharmacy and was the owner of a pharmacy for three of those years. Gene attended Graduate School at the State University of New York at Buffalo (SUNYAB) and four and one half years later he was awarded the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (PH.D) in Medicinal Chemistry. Gene’s thesis graduate work was focused on enzymes and the synthesis of enzyme inhibitors.

Upon finishing graduate studies, Gene worked with Allied Chemical/Buffalo Color Corporation for 17 years. He advanced through the ranks from Research Chemist to Technical Director of the company where he had responsibilities for Research and Development, analytical testing and production.

As a Florida licensed Pharmacist, Gene worked for the State of Florida Department of Health, Bureau of Statewide Pharmaceutical Services as a Drug Agent for 17 years. Cesar Arias was his supervisor through most of this period. During his service with the Florida Department of Health, Gene conducted hundreds of inspections and investigations involving prescription drugs, over-the-counter pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and medical devices. Gene played a pivotal part in causing Chapter 499 of the Florida Statutes to be rewritten which regulates prescription drugs in Florida.

John Petri

Miami-Dade Police Department (Retired)

A native of Ohio, John Petri has a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management from Florida State University and a Masters of Science degree in Criminal Justice from Florida International University where he graduated Suma Cum Laude. During his graduate studies program John was a two term National President of Alpha Phi Sigma, the National Criminal Justice Honor Society. He is also retired from the United States Army as a Lieutenant Colonel.

John spent 30 years with the Miami-Dade Police Department. His assignments included uniform patrol and detective bureau. The last 20 years he served as a Police Sergeant supervising investigators in various units that handled cases involving organized crime, money laundering, murder conspiracy, racketeering, burglary, extortion, domestic violence, child abuse, and career offenders. He was also a state certified law enforcement instructor teaching career criminal and burglary investigations.

Randy Jones

Miami-Dade Police Department (Retired)

A Native Miamian, Randy Jones was drafted into the U.S. Army after high school and served a tour in Vietnam. After completing his military service, Randy joined the Miami-Dade Police Department and embarked on a career that spanned 35 years, the majority of which was as an investigator. Randy’s investigations included cases involving burglary, theft, fraud, kidnapping, prostitution, and worthless documents. In addition, he spent several years as an Arson investigator, working closely with the Miami-Dade Fire Department’s Arson Unit. 

In 1989, Randy was selected to help train and organize two surveillance teams for the newly formed Career Criminal Unit. The unit’s mission was to conduct covert surveillances of active career criminals in order to collect intelligence information and monitor these offenders as they traveled throughout the South Florida region. During Randy’s tenure, the unit received numerous accolades for their work that had resulted in numerous “in progress” felony arrests. In addition, the unit was lauded by many other local, state and federal law enforcement agencies with whom they worked. Randy brings a wealth of investigative experience as well as expertise in photographic documentation and surveillance techniques.