TULSA, Okla. — Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics Agents busted an underground dentistry operating out of a South Tulsa apartment complex.
“That’s here? Wow. Well, I’ve not heard any noises, heard any kind of rumors, not that I hang out here, out here a lot but haven’t heard anything that’s amazing,” an anonymous resident told 2 News.
WATCH: UNDERGROUND DENTIST: OBN raids make-shift dentistry in a Tulsa apartment
OBN agents arrested Carol Marcella Gutierrez Herrera on charges of possession of a firearm by an illegal alien, possessing a firearm while committing a felony, and obstructing justice.
“I’ve felt real safe,” living at the complex, the anonymous resident said.
Mark Woodward, a spokesman for OBN, says the agency got a tip from the state’s dental board before the July 16 raid.
Herrera, he says, has no dental licensure; at least not in the United States.
“Not to mention, just the risk of someone who’s not licensed to administer drugs to patients that have put their trust in the care of this individual,” Woodward said.
According to a 2021 study by the Oklahoma Oral Health Coalition, more than 1 million working adults in Oklahoma lack dental insurance.
The OBN, Woodward says, has reason to believe multiple patients sought treatment from Herrera.
“Right now on the surface, it doesn’t appear to be anything nefarious, but even somebody trying to do the right thing to help people out, they don’t realize the dangers you’re putting people in when you’re not a licensed individual, performing medical procedures and administering drugs,” Woodward said.
The bust stemmed from a tip, and the OBN accepts tips in forms as simple as a Facebook direct message.
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