On the heels of the Supreme Court decision in Xiulu Ruan v. United States, wherein the Supreme Court held that the government must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that a medical provider knowingly or intentionally acted in an unauthorized manner when prescribing opioids to have the necessary criminal intent, the Department of Justice created a new strike force in New England to focus on illegal opioid prescriptions. The government’s decision to create this task force, especially after the decision in Ruan, signals that the government intends to intensify investigations into medical professionals prescribing opioids.