An Orlando Sentinel report found that violent crimes often follow prescription drug abuse. One example was the actions of two Central Florida men who demonstrated their ability to use violence to get what they wanted in a local pharmacy.

According to police reports, the men entered a Tampa CVS, pistol-whipped the store manager and stole a significant amount of prescription medication. Fleeing from police, the men then crashed their stolen truck, forced a woman out of her Toyota to steal her vehicle, and later hijacked a second woman at gunpoint.

Even as federal authorities were tracking the men, one of the two continued his violent activities across Orlando. Identified as Joshua Wilkes, this man carjacked a woman at gunpoint and then led police on a pursuit. Wilkes had about 1,000 prescription pills in a backpack when authorities finally stopped him.

Like many drug users in Florida, Wilkes was controlled by his addiction and sought to satisfy his craving at any cost. The proliferation of pain clinics and lax state laws has made Florida the perfect destination for prescription drug dealers and addicts.

In a nation where 75 to 80 percent of crime is linked to alcohol or drug abuse, Florida has set the stage for violent crimes. In Orange County alone the number of cases with hydrocodone- and oxycodone-trafficking charges increased by more than 600 percent in the last five years. This trend highlights a significant and growing problem.
 

Forbes and another man were accused of selling and conspiring to sell OxyContin and cocaine to a government informant in the later half of 2009. Forbes appeared on the radar of the US Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) in the summer of 2008. In August 2009, he sold 125 OxyContin pills to an informant for $15,000. At the time of his arrest, Forbes was trying to sell ten ounces of cocaine to the same informant and had almost $15,000 in cash at home. Evidence shows that Forbes’s wife and two children were present at the time of the August 2009 sale.

More disturbing, however, is the fact that Forbes actually met with the informant in his government office in September 2009 to talk about possibly getting the informant a job in Boston’s government. Forbes has worked for Menino since 2004 and was well respected in his East Boston community.

Forbes has resigned from his City post and is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan 18. One of his lawyers intimated that Forbes’s current criminal issues are a direct result of the fact that both he and his wife suffer from OxyContin addiction. He faces up to 20 years in prison for each of the three counts and up to $1 million in fines. Forbes’s co-conspirator has already been sentenced to four years in prison.

Boston City Hall clerk gets his drugs via FedEx

Greg Horan, age thirty and a clerk in Boston’s City Hall, was recently arrested for taking possession of two thousand OxyContin tablets. The man signed for a package at the FedEx office; inside were toys stuffed with the pills. The pills had a street value of over $60,000. The bust was the result of a sting operation involving the Boston Police Department, Massachusetts State Police, and US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) that was put together after police received a tip that a package delivered to the FedEx contained drugs. Police initially entered the store and opened the package; when they discovered the drugs, they had the workers reseal the box and waited for Horan to arrive. Upon his arrest, officers discovered that Horan was in possession of an additional 20 Oxycodone tablets and 25 OxyContin pills

Horan has been charged with trafficking OxyContin and possession of OxyContin with intent to distribute and was released on $3000 bail following his arraignment and not guilty plea; prosecutors had requested $75,000 bail. Horan has worked for the City for six years and was a manager in the workers’ compensation office. He has been placed on unpaid leave.

Mayor Menino’s office has stated that it offers assistance programs for employees with drug problems. Perhaps the programs need to be better publicized.

ttp://news.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view/20101021city_hall_clerk_out_on_bail_in_oxycontin_case/
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2010/10/23/ex_menino_aide_pleads_guilty_to_drug_charges/
 

Now, in a recent News on 6 report, robbery detectives share with pharmacies how they can protect themselves from such crimes. This effort included a training class for area pharmacists, called a prescription for protection.

Tulsa detectives want pharmacists to know what to watch out for before a robbery occurs and how to make their stores more secure. They also want pharmacists to know what to do to make sure authorities capture the perpetrators faster.

One pharmacy participating in the training had a long history of focusing on personal service to all customers. After a robbery in February, however, that focus had to change. The pharmacist once found pride in his customer service and now he has been trained to look for disguises and distinguishing marks like tattoos. He has also added security cameras to detect warning signs.

Robbery detectives believe training pharmacists is a first line defense against robberies. One word of advice given to those attending the training is that pharmacy robberies are very similar to bank robberies in that the perpetrators often hand over a note and are often armed.

Detectives are encouraging pharmacists to implement many of the same rules used today in banks, requiring people to remove hats, hoodies and sunglasses. By taking simple steps, their goal is to make it more difficult for pharmacies to be targeted and for criminals to get away with their crime.
 

Cory Alan Sharlow was sometimes armed and always desperate when he would pounce on a pharmacy. His MO was well defined each time as he would steal a car, rob a pharmacist and then make his getaway. His purpose was always to secure the OxyContin pills his body desperately craved.

His plan appeared to be foolproof and he set out to rob 10 pharmacies in just one month. After that rampage, he was caught and then jailed. Sharlow is described as the typical addict who is driven by his addiction and desperation.

OxyContin is often the targeted drug given its ability to deliver a high euphoric feeling when crushed as it releases a high dosage all at once. Addicts will soon find themselves lying, cheating and even violating their own sense of ethics simply to satisfy a habit. The opioids taken are so powerful; the desperation is heightened when the addict cannot find his or her next dose.

In Calgary, police noted 48 pharmacy robberies last year, which more than doubled the rate from 2008. In almost every situation, the thieves were after OxyContin. This year, the number of robberies has dropped; concern is still high among pharmacists and law enforcement. They understand how powerful the draw is for the drug and until this epidemic is under control – they will stay on alert.

A recent Times Daily report focused on an Associated Press piece that cited crimes involving pharmacies are continuing to increase. In Ohio in 2007, there were 32 armed robberies involving pharmacies. That number jumped to 68 in 2008. In Oklahoma, the 2007 number was one, yet the number jumped to 12 in 2008 and 19 in 2009.

Crimes are also on the rise in Alabama pharmacies. According to Jim Henderson, Fultondale Police Officer and vice president of the Alabama Narcotic Officer’s Association, a pharmacy burglary in the spring found the burglars heading straight to the pain pills.

There are no official numbers on how many pharmacies are robbed each year throughout the nation as the federal government does not track such crimes. The federal government may want to re-think how they perceive this problem as it is now on the streets with prescription pain pills selling for as much as $60 a piece.

In Alabama, officers are starting to take more notice and will patrol the streets surrounding pharmacies. If a pharmacist has to work after hours, an officer will make himself available to walk out with him.

Even with extra precautions, the pharmacies are still targets. In one situation, a pharmacy was robbed twice in the same month by the same person. As long as these individuals can get away with it and the substance they need is simply behind the counter, these crimes are likely to continue.
 

Police say the man entered the pharmacy/news agency business just before 11:30am and demanded drugs from two staff members. He was able to secure a number of different medications and escaped, only to be arrested 12 hours later.

The man has been charged with armed robbery and will have to stand trial. With no fixed home, the man is considered to be homeless.

Another man has been charged with robbing a different pharmacy with a knife. This individual walked into the store, approached a member of the staff and demanded cash and drugs. All stolen cash and property were then recovered when a residence nearby was raided.

Pharmacies appear to have become the new bank when criminals are seeking to get their hands on something they “need” but do not have. Bank robbers are seeking money; pharmacy robbers are most often seeking pills in order to feed an addiction. While there is not always violence involved in a pharmacy robbery, weapons have been used to threaten and secure the goods sought.

The growing number of incidents suggests that pharmacies throughout the world adopt specific strategies for thwarting drug addicts-turned robbers. Most of these individuals didn’t set out to be criminals; they simply developed an addiction that leaves them desperate. One thing is for sure – the current pharmacy system puts people at risk.
 

The assistant, Alesha Neault, worked at the rest home in a role that required her to provide a variety of basic care services to elderly residents. She also assisted licensed nurses with their medical tasks, which often involved the handling of medication for some of the residents within the home.

Neault had a drug habit that she was able to support through her employment. During her time at the rest home, Neault stole Fentanyl patches that had been prescribed to Riverside residents. While this action not only fed her addiction, it also denied legitimate patients their access to pain relief.

This crime opens up the debate for bigger questions surrounding the control of the prescription medication within the rest home and Neault’s legal access of these medications. The Riverside facility could face its own charges of negligence, lax standards and mismanagement of controlled substances that resulted in undue suffering for some patients.

As a result of her willful theft and the direct impact it had on patients, Neault was denied bail and remains in custody until her court date.
 

A recent Tampa Bay report focused on Patrick Whelan, an individual addicted to pain medications. The most recent supply he had was oxycodone, but he claimed his girlfriend stole them from him. His doctor refused to issue another prescription without a police report.

Unfortunately for Whelan, police officers were not very receptive when he made the call. They had a slightly different response when he decided to take matters into his own hands, however. He went to the local Walgreen’s Pharmacy with a gun in hand and demanded oxy be put into a bag. He gave the pharmacist one minute to load as much as possible.

The pharmacist responded by placing several oxycodone bottles into the bag. With his supply in hand, Whelan left the store. When an employee followed him out and noticed the car he used to leave the location, the tag number was recorded and the police were called.

According to Whelan, his addiction developed after a motorcycle accident that caused pain. He was legally prescribed medication, but that led to his addiction. Once officers searched his home, they found he had stolen roughly 600 pills. The handgun used in the robbery was also found – and was identified as stolen.

Whelan has been charged with armed robbery and remains detained, unable to post the $50,000 bond.
 

The man did not demand or take any cash. When he left the pharmacy with the stolen pills, he was chased on foot by witnesses. They report he pulled out his knife to confront them, waning he would cut them if they didn’t leave him alone.

The individual was said to then get in a bronze, four-door Jeep driven by an unidentified individual. The suspect was described to be in his late 30s, or early 40s, roughly 6 feet 3 inches tall and an estimated 185 pounds. He was identified as having a small patch of hair below his lower lip.

Crimes such as these continue to pop up in destinations all over the world. More and more individuals are finding themselves addicted to substances that were originally intended to relieve legitimate pain. Pharmacies are a key destination for robberies as they maintain high quantities of narcotic painkillers, such as OxyContin, Percocet and other drugs that are in high demand.

Law enforcement agencies are working to try and make it more difficult for addicts to target pharmacies, yet the process is bound to be slow and inconvenience law-abiding citizens.
 

Such an addiction was behind a gunpoint robbery recently in Eureka, according to a Times Standard report. A suspect used a gun to rob the Redwood Pharmacies of its stock of OxyContin.

According to reports from the Eureka Police Department, a man pointed a handgun at the clerk to gain access to the narcotic. He then ran out of the store and down the alley behind the building. The pharmacy was closed during the investigation.

One co-worker was alerted by another when the man entered the store. He reportedly had a black cloth covering most of his face. When the pharmacy worker ran to tell the pharmacist the store was being robbed, she turned around to meet the eyes of the perpetrator. The man told her he just wanted the OxyContin and would leave quickly.

Workers claim the individual was actually friendly about it, making the whole incident seem weird. When no one responded to his request, he asked for the drugs again and an employee pointed to the cupboard where the drugs were kept. The robber quickly took the OxyContin and left the pharmacy.

In talking with individuals at another pharmacy that had been robbed previously, the description of the individual, including his disposition and blue eyes, matched that of the Redwood Pharmacies robber.