Editing Narconon (section)

==Controversies==
===State code violations===
Narconon facilities in California have been cited repeatedly for violations by state inspectors. Violations included administering medication without authorization, having alcohol on the premises, and not having proper bedding for patients. Narconon has also attempted to silence opposition, including sending letters to neighbors of a proposed facility in [[Leona Valley, California|Leona Valley]] threatening legal action for criticism. Residents had been concerned that Narconon would increase crime.<ref>Dobuzinskis, Alex. "Proposed Narcanon rehab clinic raises concern among residents." ''[[Los Angeles Daily News]]'', 22 July 2006. {{cite web|url=http://www2.dailynews.com/antelopevalley/ci_4083734|title=?|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070315053249/http://www.dailynews.com/antelopevalley/ci_4083734|archive-date=15 March 2007}}</ref> The local town council recommended an eight-foot security fence and independent security, which was objected to by Narconon officials.<ref>Slutske, Reina. "Narconon Project Hearing Delayed Until January." ''Santa Clarita Signal'', 5 October 2006. {{cite web |url=http://www.the-signal.com/?module=displaystory&story_id=33264&format=html |title=? |date= 2018-07-12}}</ref>

=== Narconon Chilocco licensing problems ===

[[File:Chilocco Indian Agricultural School.jpg|thumbnail|Narconon's first presence in the state of [[Oklahoma]] was at the Chilocco Indian Agricultural School, near [[Newkirk, Oklahoma|Newkirk]]. Narconon made the argument that operating on an [[Indian reservation]] obviated the need for a state license.]]

Narconon began operations in Oklahoma in 1990,<ref>{{cite news|title=State Agency Inspecting Narconon|url=http://www.solitarytrees.net/cowen/Narconon/sources/ok211092.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140314014400/http://www.solitarytrees.net/cowen/Narconon/sources/ok211092.htm |archive-date=March 14, 2014 |access-date=5 September 2012|newspaper=Daily Oklahoman|date=21 October 1992}}</ref> as an unlicensed facility on the site of the [[Chilocco Indian Agricultural School]] near the town of [[Newkirk, Oklahoma|Newkirk]],<ref>{{cite news|title=Newkirk Center OK'd; Mooreland Bid Axed|url=https://www.cs.cmu.edu/~dst/Narconon/sources/media/ok260189.htm|access-date=5 September 2012|newspaper=The Oklahoman|date=26 January 1989}}</ref> claiming that it did not require a state license as it was operating on an [[Indian reservation]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Narconon Claims It's Not Subject to State Regulation|url=https://www.cs.cmu.edu/~dst/Narconon/sources/media/ok110790.htm|access-date=5 September 2012|newspaper=Daily Oklahoman|date=11 July 1990}}</ref> In 1992 Narconon applied for a state licence, and was twice refused by the ODMHSAS, which found "no evidence that drug and alcohol abuse education was part of the program"<ref>
{{cite news|title=Narconon Drug Center will Appeal Certification Ruling|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=VfBDAAAAIBAJ&dq=narconon%20oklahoma&pg=1280%2C4570283|access-date=6 September 2012|newspaper=Durant (OK) Daily Democrat|date=15 December 1991|page=10–A|quote=Mental Health department staff member Dennis Lewelling testified at the hearing that in studying records of the center, he could find no evidence that drug and alcohol abuse education was a part of the program.}}
</ref> and declared the program "not medically safe",<ref name="ffact1">[http://www.shipbrook.com/jeff/CoS/narconon/osb1992.html Findings of Fact regarding the Narconon-Chilocco Application For Certification by the Board of Mental Health, State of Oklahoma] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060614102514/http://www.shipbrook.com/jeff/CoS/narconon/osb1992.html |date=14 June 2006 }}, 13 December 1991</ref> a decision to which Narconon spokesperson [[Kirstie Alley]]<ref>{{cite web|title=Grand Opening: Narconon Chilocco New Life Center|url=http://www.abandonedok.com/wp-content/gallery/chilocco-historic-photos/narcanon-chilocco.jpg|publisher=Narconon Chilocco|access-date=5 September 2012|date=29 June 1990}}</ref> responded, "The arrogance and irresponsibility of the mental health board will not survive the outrage of the many thousands of parents, graduates and supporters from the scientific community".<ref>{{cite news|title=Drug Center Controversy Continues|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=V_BDAAAAIBAJ&dq=oklahoman%20narconon&pg=3023%2C4968078|access-date=5 September 2012|newspaper=Durant Daily Democrat, The|date=17 December 1991}}</ref>

Between 1989 and 1992, Narconon, through Scientology attorney [[Tim Bowles (attorney)|Tim Bowles]], filed lawsuits against the ODMHSAS;<ref>
{{cite court | litigants=Narconon International v. Oklahoma Board of Mental Health & Substance Abuse |court=SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA |date=7 October 1992 |url=http://www.oscn.net/applications/oscn/GetCaseInformation.asp?submitted=true&viewtype=caseGeneral&casemasterID=58298&db=Appellate }}
</ref> its members;<ref>{{cite court |litigants=Narconon International, Inc. v. Anderson |court=SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA |date=7 December 1991 |url=http://www.oscn.net/applications/oscn/GetCaseInformation.asp?submitted=true&viewtype=caseGeneral&casemasterID=56259&db=Appellate }}</ref><ref>{{cite court |litigants=Narconon International, Inc. v. Anderson |court=SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA |url=http://www.oscn.net/applications/oscn/GetCaseInformation.asp?submitted=true&viewtype=caseGeneral&casemasterID=56475&db=Appellate |date=20 August 1991 }}</ref> and local newspaper editor Robert Lobsinger, who had written about Narconon's Scientology connection.<ref>{{cite news|title=Editor Risks Jail Rather Than Pay Narconon Court Costs|url=https://www.cs.cmu.edu/~dst/Narconon/sources/media/ap040792.htm|access-date=5 September 2012|newspaper=Associated Press|date=4 July 1992}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Narconon-Chilocco Drug Treatment Plant May Be Part of Notorious Religious Cult|url=https://www.cs.cmu.edu/~dst/Narconon/sources/media/hj270489.htm|access-date=6 September 2012|newspaper=Newkirk Herald Journal|date=27 April 1989}}</ref> Narconon contacted the Mayor of Newkirk's 12-year-old son at a library,<ref>
{{cite news|title=Scientology's Oklahoma Nemesis, Bob Lobsinger: "They Lied Every Step of the Way"|url=http://blogs.villagevoice.com/runninscared/2012/08/scientology_bob_lobsinger.php|access-date=5 September 2012|newspaper=Village Voice, The|date=16 August 2012|quote="They sent one guy around trying to talk to the mayor. He knew who the mayor's kid was, somehow. So he followed the kid into the library and told him he need to talk to his dad. Then he gave him his card," Lobsinger says. "It was just to let the mayor know they knew where his kid was."|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120825112527/http://blogs.villagevoice.com/runninscared/2012/08/scientology_bob_lobsinger.php|archive-date=25 August 2012}}</ref> and hired private detectives to research Narconon's opponents, leading residents to fear retribution if they spoke out against the organization.<ref>{{cite news |title=On the Offensive Against an Array of Suspected Foes |url=https://www.latimes.com/local/la-scientology062990x-story.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080421025309/http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-scientology062990x,0,138179,full.story|url-status=live |archive-date=21 April 2008|access-date=13 September 2012 |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |date=29 June 1990 |author=Joel Sappell |author2=Robert W. Welkos |quote="People who claim that I have conducted an improper investigation against them probably have so many things to hide," said Ingram.  Church lawyer Cooley backed the investigator, saying: "I know of no impropriety that has ever been engaged in by Mr. Ingram or any other (private investigator) for the church. Mr. Ingram has done nothing wrong."  ... Scientology attorneys in September mailed an "open letter" to many of Newkirk's 2,500 residents announcing that Ingram had been hired to investigate Narconon's adversaries. ... Ingram tracked down the mayor's 12-year-old son at the local public library, handed him a business card and told the boy to have his father call, Lobsinger said. "It was just a subtle bit of intimidation," he said. "It certainly did not do the mother much good. She was very unnerved."  ... "They have a standard pattern," Bilger said of the Scientologists. "They try to be very aggressive. They try to intimidate. This is not the kind of atmosphere we need in the Newkirk community. . . . This tells me they are far from being harmless."}}
</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=New drug clinic splinters Oklahoma town / Oklahoma residents fear being labeled a 'cult town'|url=http://i.imgur.com/VDwkC.png|access-date=5 September 2012|newspaper=[[The Dallas Morning News]]|date=30 July 1989|quote=several residents declined to be quoted, apparently fearing retribution from an organisation that remains mysterious to them. Some said fears were heightened when the treatment center hired a private investigator from Stillwater, Okla. to help them identify the participants in what Narconon's Smith described as a "whispering campaign".}}</ref> A Narconon spokesman quoted by ''[[The New York Times]]'' described Narconon's critics in Newkirk as "in favor of drug abuse... They're either connected to selling drugs or they're using drugs."<ref name="welcomes_then_questions">{{cite news | title = Town Welcomes, Then Questions a Drug Project | work = [[The New York Times]]| page = A13 | date = 17 July 1989 | agency = Associated Press| url=https://www.nytimes.com/1989/07/17/us/town-welcomes-then-questions-a-drug-project.html |access-date=13 March 2014}}</ref>

Narconon achieved exemption from the requirement for state licensing in 1992,<ref>{{cite news|title=Narconon Gets State Mental Health Exemption|url=https://www.cs.cmu.edu/~dst/Narconon/sources/media/so150892.htm|access-date=5 September 2012|newspaper=Sunday Oklahoman|date=15 August 1992}}</ref> as a result of approval from the [[Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities]]. Scientology leader [[David Miscavige]] commented on the case in an interview with [[ABC News (United States)|ABC News]] ''[[Nightline]]'', saying, "There are a group of people on this planet who find us to be a threat to their existence, and they will do everything in their power to stop us. And that is the mental health field. I didn't pick a war with them."<ref name="nightline">{{cite interview |subject = David Miscavige |interviewer = [[Ted Koppel]] |title = A Conversation with David Miscavige |url = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZSjVOXAb8U |work = [[ABC News (United States)|ABC News]] [[Nightline]] |date = 14 February 1992 |quote = DAVID MISCAVIGE: You want... you know, if you... I could have been on here two years ago and you would have brought something up, and it's over now. There have been these cases, but in the end, we come out on top, and I'm telling you, Ted, there are a group of people on this planet who find us to be a threat to their existence, and they will do everything in their power to stop us. And that is the mental health field. I didn't pick a war with them. You can ask them if they feel this way, and they will tell you that. }}</ref>

In 2012, a paid advert in the ''[[Oklahoma Gazette]]'' contained allegations from a previously unknown group named "Oklahomans for the preservation of homeland security and american values, (ohsav)" {{sic}}. The advert referred to recent TV news stories about Narconon and Scientology, named some of Narconon's critics in Oklahoma, and alleged those critics had "subjugated [their] individuality for [their] own thirst for hatred", had an "agenda of religious intolerance, racial discrimination or disdain for corporate America", and blamed them for "public disinformation hate campaigns against Blacks, Jews, Muslims and Scientologists".<ref>{{cite news|title=PUBLIC INFORMATION ALERT|url=http://npaper-wehaa.com/oklahoma-gazette/2012/09/19/#?article=1681251|access-date=18 September 2012|newspaper=Oklahoma Gazette|date=19 September 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120923033134/http://npaper-wehaa.com/oklahoma-gazette/2012/09/19#?article=1681251|archive-date=23 September 2012}}</ref> The advertisement showed the characteristics of a [[dead agenting]] campaign.

===Investigation in Russia===
In April 2007, it was revealed that the [[public procurator]] in Moscow's South District had begun an investigation into Narconon's activities in Russia. The ''[[Moskovskij Komsomolets]]'' newspaper reported that legal proceedings were begun against the head of the clinic "Narconon-Standard" for violating bans in Russian medical practices. Russian law enforcement became interested after receiving many complaints from citizens about the high fees charged by Narconon. The Narconon office in Bolshaya Tulskaya St. was searched, and documents and unidentified medications were seized.<ref name="moscow">{{cite news| last = Staff|title = Proceedings against Scientologists-run clinic instituted in Moscow| work = Interfax-Religion|date = 6 April 2007| url = http://www.interfax-religion.com/?act=news&div=2850 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927031523/http://www.interfax-religion.com/?act=news&div=2850 |archive-date=September 27, 2007}}</ref> One year later, as part of an investigation in [[Ulyanovsk]] into the Church of Scientology, police searched a Narconon office in the town of [[Dimitrovgrad, Russia|Dimitrovgrad]].<ref name="ulyanovsk">{{cite news| title = Ulyanovsk police search local branch office of Church of Scientology| work = Interfax-Religion| date = 18 April 2008| url = http://www.interfax-religion.com/?act=news&div=4579 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080421191324/http://www.interfax-religion.com/?act=news&div=4579 |archive-date=April 21, 2008}}</ref>

===Narconon Trois-Rivières closed by Quebec health authorities===
{{Rquote|right|[Narconon] may represent a risk to health|Health and Social Services Agency, [[Mauricie]] Region, [[Quebec]]<ref name="risk to health" />}}
On 17 April 2012, Quebec health officials ordered the Narconon facility in [[Trois-Rivières]] to close, and to relocate its 32 residents. After an investigation into Narconon Trois-Rivières' activities by the Centre Québécois d’Agrément (CQA), an independent body that monitors the quality of healthcare, the [[Mauricie]] Region's Health and Social Services Agency decided not to re-certify Narconon due to concerns that its methods "may represent a risk to health" of patients.<ref name="risk to health">{{cite news|title=Health officials shut down Narconon drug rehab centre; Treatments based on Scientology |newspaper=Montreal Gazette|date=18 April 2012|author=CATHERINE SOLYOM |url=http://www.religionnewsblog.com/26724/health-officials-shut-down-narconon-drug-rehab-centre-in-canada |access-date=20 March 2014 |quote=Health officials have ordered the Narconon rehabilitation centre for drug addicts in Trois Rivières to evacuate and relocate its 32 residents, citing concerns over procedures that "may represent a risk to health" and a lack of doctors on staff.}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | title = Narconon Centre in Rivières ordered to relocate its residents | newspaper = [[Montreal Gazette]] | date = 17 April 2012 | url = https://montrealgazette.com/news/Drug+rehab+centre+ordered+relocate+residents/6474429/story.html | access-date = 21 April 2012 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120422064100/http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/Drug+rehab+centre+ordered+relocate+residents/6474429/story.html | archive-date = 22 April 2012}}</ref>

The Agency's director, Marc Latour, said that Narconon Trois-Rivières was dangerous for patients, that it violated many of the criteria governing rehabilitation centres in Quebec, and that there was no medical supervision and no scientific basis to its treatment. He added that at least four clients had been hospitalized in recent months because of methods used at the centre.<ref name="Latour">{{cite news | title = Scientologist-run rehab centre ordered closed in Quebec | publisher = [[CBC News]] | date = 17 April 2012 | url = https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/scientologist-run-rehab-centre-ordered-closed-in-quebec-1.1226881 | access-date =21 April 2012}}</ref> Narconon Trois-Rivières issued a response, saying, "People with drug problems and their families should have a right to choose the program that works for them as these days there are many good alternative programs".<ref>{{cite news|title=Scientologist-run rehab centre ordered closed in Quebec|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/scientologist-run-rehab-centre-ordered-closed-in-quebec-1.1226881|access-date=5 September 2012|newspaper=cbcnews Montreal|date=18 April 2012}}</ref>

The closure followed a two-year campaign by ex-Narconon patient and staff member David Love, whose negative experiences with the program prompted him to become one of its fiercest critics in Canada. While he was at Narconon Trois-Rivieres, Love reports that:<ref name="inside_bizarre">{{cite news|title=Inside Narconon's bizarre treatments; David love discusses his strange and painful experiences there. It was like 'One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest times 10,' he says |newspaper=The Gazette |date=20 April 2012 |author=CATHERINE SOLYOM |url=https://montrealgazette.com/news/Inside+Narconon+bizarre+treatments/6488215/story.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120425212351/http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/Inside%2BNarconon%2Bbizarre%2Btreatments/6488215/story.html |archive-date=25 April 2012 |access-date=20 March 2014 |quote=Love also remembers a few who suffered when Narconon staff refused to give them their medicine. On several websites used to attract potential clients, Narconon boasts of its 70-to-75 per cent success rate and entirely drug-free program—which even excludes prescription drugs. In one case, staff members withheld insulin from a diabetic patient undergoing the sauna treatment. That young man ended up in hospital for three days, Love said. In another, it took away a patient's antidepressants. He jumped from a second-floor window in a suicide attempt. }}</ref>

{{Blockquote|text=staff members withheld [[insulin]] from a diabetic patient undergoing the sauna treatment. That young man ended up in hospital for three days, Love said. In another [incident], [Narconon] took away a patient's antidepressants. He jumped from a second-floor window in a suicide attempt.}}

Love is one of five former Narconon patients who have filed a complaint with Quebec's Human Rights Commission, alleging that their drug addiction was exploited by Narconon, which recruited them into the program and made them perform manual labour while taking part in it. Love also alleges that Narconon Trois-Rivieres earned around $16&nbsp;million for Scientology between its opening in 2005 and its forced closure in 2012.<ref name="inside_bizarre" />

Narconon President Clark Carr stated that the facility closed because the province changed its stance on "what kind of drug rehabilitation it would tolerate" to "strictly medical, drug substitution, and so forth". Narconon was informed that it had to reacquire a license, but would only be approved if its method of treatment was changed.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2013/09/02/narconon_meets_fierce_opposition_in_hockley_valley.html|title=Narconon meets fierce opposition in Hockley Valley {{!}} Toronto Star|newspaper=The Toronto Star|date=2 September 2013|access-date=19 April 2017|last1=Mendleson|first1=Rachel}}</ref>

===Pur Detox suicide attempt===
In September 2012, Pur Detox, a Narconon offshoot, was sued in [[Orange County, California]], for negligence, [[medical malpractice]], and negligent supervision. William Sweeney, the plaintiff, "suffered severe personal injuries" after a suicide attempt, jumping from a third floor balcony at the clinic, in [[Dana Point, California|Dana Point]]. Sweeney's complaint alleges that he was taken off his prescribed psychiatric medication at the facility, and that it was this which led to his suicide attempt.<ref name=":0">{{cite news|last=Reynolds|first=Matt|title=Patient Sues Scientology-Based Clinic|url=http://www.courthousenews.com/2012/09/18/50389.htm|access-date=18 September 2012|newspaper=Courthouse News Service|date=18 September 2012|quote=A man tried to kill himself at a Scientology-affiliated detox clinic after its 'purification rundown' took him off his prescribed medicines in a 'quick taper,' the man claims in court.|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120921060307/http://www.courthousenews.com/2012/09/18/50389.htm|archive-date=21 September 2012}}</ref>

===Arrest of Heber Jentzsch===
In December 1988, the president of the Church of Scientology International, [[Heber Jentzsch]], was arrested in Spain after an investigation into Narconon that resulted in (later dropped) allegations that he and Scientology were defrauding Spanish citizens and running its centers with unqualified staff.<ref>{{cite news |first=Stephen |last=Koff |url=https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/sptimes/access/51427830.html?dids=51427830:51427830&FMT=FT&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=Nov+22%2C+1988&author=STEPHEN+KOFF&pub=St.+Petersburg+Times&edition=&startpage=1.A&desc=Top+Scientologist+arrested+in+Spain |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071001010142/https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/sptimes/access/51427830.html?dids=51427830:51427830&FMT=FT&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=Nov+22%2C+1988&author=STEPHEN+KOFF&pub=St.+Petersburg+Times&edition=&startpage=1.A&desc=Top+Scientologist+arrested+in+Spain |archive-date=October 1, 2007 |title=Top Scientologist Arrested in Spain |newspaper=[[St. Petersburg Times]] |date=22 November 1988 |page=1A}}</ref> The judge in the case said at a news conference after the arrests that the only god of Scientology was money, and compared the church to a [[pyramid scheme]] in which members pay increasing sums of money. The judge said that Narconon swindled its clients and lured them into Scientology.<ref>{{cite news |first=Steven |last=Koff  |url=https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/sptimes/access/51435991.html?dids=51435991:51435991&FMT=FT&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=Dec+10%2C+1988&author=STEPHEN+KOFF&pub=St.+Petersburg+Times&edition=&startpage=21.A&&pf=1  |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071001061304/https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/sptimes/access/51435991.html?dids=51435991:51435991&FMT=FT&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=Dec+10%2C+1988&author=STEPHEN+KOFF&pub=St.+Petersburg+Times&edition=&startpage=21.A&&pf=1 |archive-date=October 1, 2007 |title=Scientology leader still jailed in Spain; church charges 'persecution' |newspaper=[[St. Petersburg Times]] |date=10 December 1988}}</ref> By the end of 1991, the Spanish court found there was no evidence to support prosecutors' allegations that drug rehabilitation and other programs sponsored by Scientology in Spain amounted to illicit gatherings aimed at activities such as fraud.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://parl.gc.adventist.org/documents/world_reports/2002/Europe%20Central%20Asia.pdf|title=Public Affairs and Religious Liberty—Home|access-date=9 December 2015}}</ref> In April 2002, the charge was formally dropped. The court also ordered that the [[bail bond]] deposited for Jentzsch's release in 1988 be returned to Scientology along with interest, which nearly doubled the original amount.<ref>"Spanish court drops charges against Scientology chief after 14 years", Agence France Presse, 11 April 2002</ref>

===Slatkin fraud===
On 8 November 2006, the [[Associated Press]] reported that Narconon was one of the Scientology groups that would pay back a total of $3.5 million of illegal funds from [[EarthLink]] co-founder [[Reed Slatkin]]:

{{Blockquote|text=Slatkin, who was once an ordained Scientology minister, paid $1.7 million from his scheme directly to Scientology groups, while millions of dollars more were funneled through other investors to groups affiliated with the church, bankruptcy trustee R. Todd Neilson said in court filings. Among the church groups to receive ill-gotten gains from Slatkin's scheme were Narconon International, the Church of Scientology [[Celebrity Centre International]] and the [[Church of Scientology Western United States]], the filings said. The $3.5 million being returned by the church groups was the result of a negotiated compromise, Scientology attorney David Schindler and Alexander Pilmer, an attorney for Neilson, said.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/local/states/california/northern_california/15963877.htm |title=Scientology groups to pay back $3.5 million from Slatkin scheme |agency=Associated Press |via=[[The Mercury News]] |date=November 8, 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061208005957/https://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/local/states/california/northern_california/15963877.htm |archive-date=December 8, 2006}}</ref>}}

===Head of Narconon deported from Kazakhstan===
In July 2008, the head of Narconon in [[Kazakhstan]] was [[Deportation|deported]]: Kazakh Justice Minister [[Zagipa Baliyeva]] announced that "foreigners from the USA, [[Georgia (country)|Georgia]], [[South Korea]] and Japan have been deported from the country by law-enforcement agencies and in line with court rulings for violating the rules regarding the stay of foreigners and carrying out missionary activities without registration. In particular, with a further ban on entering Kazakhstan for five years, the head of the Narconon public foundation affiliated with the Church of Scientology has been deported," adding, "27 cases were uncovered where heads of non-traditional religious organizations violated the law on the [[freedom of conscience]] and religious organizations; in particular, materials propagating radical ideas and teachings of non-traditional religions were seized from them".<ref>{{cite news|title=Foreign missionaries deported from Kazakhstan<!--|access-date=19 September 2012-->|newspaper=BBC Monitoring Central Asia|date=29 July 2008|agency=Interfax-Kazakhstan news agency, Almaty, in Russian|quote=Astana, 29 July: The head of the Narconon public foundation, along with several other foreign missionaries, have been deported from Kazakhstan, Kazakh Justice Minister Zagipa Baliyeva has said.}}</ref>

===Accusation of website graphics design/layout plagiarism===
In January 2001, Narconon came under fire when they appeared to [[plagiarism|plagiarize]] the entire layout and site design of the webzine [[Urban75|Urban75.com]] for their websites heroinaddiction.com and cocaineaddiction.com, among others.<ref>Thomas C.
Greene "[https://www.theregister.co.uk/2001/01/22/scientologist_web_site_rips_off/ Scientologist Web site rips off urban75.com: Moneyed cult gets hip in the worst way]" [[The Register]], 22 January 2001. Retrieved 4 June 2006.</ref> The editor of Urban75 posted up comparisons of the copying, showing that Narconon had not even removed Urban75's hidden [[JavaScript]] code, unique to Urban75.<ref>Urban75 [http://www.urban75.com/rip_off.html "Narconon and urban75—the ultimate homage"]. Retrieved 4 June 2006.</ref> ''[[The Register]]'' noted the irony of this scandal, quoting a critic who wrote, "Scientology has sued countless individuals and organizations putatively [sic] for 'copyright violation' and the organization claims loudly that they're at the 'forefront of protecting proprietary information on the Internet'."<ref>Lester Haines "[https://www.theregister.co.uk/2001/01/26/scientology_expos_eacute_finds_favour/ Scientology exposé finds favour]" ''[[The Register]]'' 26 January 2001. Retrieved 4 June 2006.</ref>

===Narconon Georgia closed amid investigation for insurance fraud===
In April 2013, agents of the [[insurance commissioner]] of the U.S. state of Georgia and the [[Gwinnett County, Georgia|Gwinnett County]] [[district attorney]]'s office searched the group's offices in [[Norcross, Georgia]], questioning employees as they arrived at work and [[Confiscation|impound]]ing more than a dozen computers and boxes full of documents.<ref name=wsb1>{{cite news|url=http://www.wsbradio.com/news/news/crime-law/narconon-under-investigation-again/nXYyY/|title=Narconon under investigation again|publisher=[[WSB (AM)]]|date=26 April 2013|archive-date=May 1, 2013|access-date=April 29, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130501075528/http://www.wsbradio.com/news/news/crime-law/narconon-under-investigation-again/nXYyY/|url-status=dead}}</ref> The insurance commissioner said during the investigation that, "We have credible information that indicates that [[insurance fraud]] is taking place with Narconon". The family of one patient said that the group was billing insurance companies for treatments that had never been given, and the doctors for whom the costs were being billed claimed never to have met the patient.<ref name=ajc1>{{cite news|url=http://www.ajc.com/news/news/local/search-warrants-executed-at-narconon-drug-rehab-cl/nXYzn/|title=Search warrants executed at Narconon drug rehab clinic|newspaper=[[Atlanta Journal-Constitution]]|date=26 April 2013|access-date=April 29, 2013|archive-date=May 8, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160508153845/http://www.ajc.com/news/news/local/search-warrants-executed-at-narconon-drug-rehab-cl/nXYzn/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

State investigators discovered nearly $3&nbsp;million of insurance fraud at Narconon Georgia; in September 2013, the facility surrendered its state license in order to avoid criminal charges.<ref>{{cite news |last=Boone |first=Christian |date=25 September 2013 |title=Narconon of Georgia surrenders license, avoids prosecution |url=http://www.ajc.com/news/news/local/narconon-of-georgia-surrenders-license-avoids-pros/nZ7Sw/ |newspaper=Atlanta Journal-Constitution |location= Atlanta, Georgia, USA |publisher=Cox Media Group |access-date= 9 April 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last= Fleischer |first= Jodie |date= 24 September 2013 |title= Insurer moves to drop Narconon of Georgia for fraud |url= http://www.wsbtv.com/news/news/local/insurer-moves-drop-narconon-georgia-fraud/nZrM8/ |newspaper= WSB TV 2 |location= Atlanta, Georgia, USA |publisher= Cox Media Group |access-date= 7 April 2014 |archive-date= April 9, 2014 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140409004006/http://www.wsbtv.com/news/news/local/insurer-moves-drop-narconon-georgia-fraud/nZrM8/ |url-status= dead }}</ref>