Morphine, oxycodone, methadone, and fentanyl were among the narcotics stolen, according to the labels on the cabinet's shelves. According to my night manager, who saw the bandit escape through the window, the robber was a bulky man wearing all black with the archetypal black ski mask and was armed with a crowbar. Passing by the pharmacy on my walk home as usual, I saw deep crowbar marks on the windowsill. That was all it took. Management made it too easy - for the second time.
My night manager identified the robber as being identical to the man who knocked off the pharmacy in a nighttime raid three months prior, according to video footage. During the first robbery, the pharmacy alarm was out of commission and the robbery was not discovered until the pharmacist arrived that morning. In his debut lick, the bandit scored $20,000 to $30,000 in narcotics with an estimated street value upwards of $1 million.
The disconcerted store manager waltzed toward the pharmacy waiting area. My 45 minutes of company ordered lounging was over. I slowly marked my place in my book with a pipe cleaner and deftly half-smirked at my store manager's aghast demeanor. Despite their true role as petty corporate tools, store managers typically respond to incidents with a grave sincerity born of managerial self-importance. If some desperate vulture had struck the pharmacy once more, I would've ran for another doughnut.
Were all these security failures even legal? An assload of serious dope made it's way onto the street with no apparent risk to the robber. One has to wonder how many pharmacies get pillaged after dark. This crime is infinitely safer and more lucrative than common robberies. Supermarkets would never get the same reputation as crime magnets that convenience stores do, and nobody but us would ever have to know.
Incompetence is costly and dangerous. A presumed drug dealer procuring that much dope causes an obvious chain reaction of street crime - and it's all management's fault. Pharmacy security should be held to a higher standard, and the vanguards of criminal stupidity should be held accountable. Then again, if the job were harder, he might bring a gun. Perhaps we'll see him in another three months. I still see no lockbar on the drive-thru window.
Article comments
1 - Shawn
Perhaps if we eliminated the concept of having to have a drug 'prescribed' instead of having all drugs made OTC ASAP, there would be no incentive to steal these drugs: they would either NOT exist any more OR would be so much cheaper since competition would force the prices down (without the FDA/DEA/BATF, etc. making sure that drugs would be far more expensive than they need be, the marketplace would set something approaching an equilibrium price). The drug banners/prescribers, etc. never took Economics 101 in college, or else they'd know better....
2 - Ray Ellis
Good to see you back in action, Joe. Once again, you've touched upon one of those rarely reported incidents that the local newshounds ignore, and the constabulary write off.
If all you say is true, I'd say the powers that be should be looking at the possible involvement of certain employees.
Shawn, Economics 101 notwithstanding, your remedy doesn't hold water. There's always an incentive to steal-- cigarettes are legal, but a thriving blackmarket still exists.
3 - Jared Wright
There's a black market for cigarettes? Seriously, that's not sarcastic, I must be living under a rock and missed it.
Nice article, Joe. Good readin'.