RECENT OXYCONTIN THEFT PART OF GROWING PROBLEM IN U.S.

The man who held up a CVS pharmacy off of U.S. 41 in Bonita Springs
one day last week didn't want money. He was after drugs. Specifically,
Oxycontin.

The robber, who as of late Friday hadn't yet been caught by the Lee
County Sheriff's Office, left the pharmacy at 27841 Crown Lake Blvd.
on Tuesday with 200 20-milligram pills -- $558 worth of the potent
pain killer, according to sheriff's reports.

According to reports, CVS' management said one of the chain's stores
in Pinellas County (St. Petersburg) had recently been robbed in a
similar way.

According to CVS, Oxycontin is one of its most commonly requested
medications.

It also has become a popular, and in some cases highly addictive,
recreational drug.

The estimated street value of one 40-milligram OxyContin pill is about
$40, according to the Drug Policy Alliance, an organization that urges
debate on the nation's drug policy.

Sale of the prescription drug for recreational use has become such a
problem that theft of the medication is tracked by the U.S. Drug
Enforcement Administration.

According to its data, more than 1.2 million of the pills were stolen
from 2000 through June 2003. During that time, 631 armed robberies
where Oxycontin was handed over were reported. More than 700
night-time break-ins targeting the drug also occurred during that
time, according to the DEA's statistics.

Still, cash seems to be the more popular choice for most
robbers.

Lee Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Ileana LiMarzi said reports of
holdups involving prescription drugs are relatively rare. Tuesday's
was the second robbery of a CVS in Bonita Springs in less than a
month. Jan. 29, a robber held up the store at 11500 Bonita Beach Road,
asking for money, not drugs. That man escaped with an undisclosed
amount of cash.

In both cases, the clerks behind the counter gave the robbers what
they demanded.

In Tuesday's robbery, the man walked into the pharmacy at 4:20 p.m.
According to sheriff's reports, he handed the woman a handwritten note
demanding Oxycontin and another prescription medication. She didn't
have access to the drugs, so she gave the note to another employee,
who handed over the drugs.

The man fled in a gold-colored car, which witnesses said had a
passenger inside. He is described as a Hispanic or light-skinned black
man in his 20s between 5 foot 6 inches and 5 foot 8 inches.

The suspect in the January robbery was described only as a black man
who at the time was wearing a blue, short-sleeved shirt with red
writing on it, denim shorts and sneakers. Images of the robber were
released by the Sheriff's Office at the time from surveillance video
in an attempt to locate him.

No such pictures will be released from Tuesday's holdup. The Crown
Lake Boulevard store's cameras weren't working when the robber made
his demands.

CVS has 5,375 stores, 627 of which are in Florida. Corporate spokesman
Mike DeAngelis said CVS wouldn't comment on security measures it takes
to prevent robberies nor the training its workers receive on dealing
with such situations.

CVS isn't the only highly visible purveyor of prescription drugs in
town. Where there is a CVS, most often there is a Walgreens nearby.
That drugstore chain has 637 stores in Florida.

Carol Hively, corporate spokeswoman for Walgreens, said its
pharmacists receive specific training on what to do in the event a
demand for drugs is made at one of its counters.

The stores also feature extensive security in all pharmacy areas, she
said. Its management also works closely with local law enforcement
agencies on specific problems, she added.