PHARMACISTS JITTERY OVER DRUG HEISTS

2 Utah County Burglaries Point To Dangerous Trend

The apparent drug-related burglaries of two Utah grocery store pharmacies
have put other area pharmacists on the alert.

During the Christmas holiday, two Utah County grocery store pharmacies, one
in Lehi and one in Orem, were robbed of more than $20,000 in prescription
narcotics.

Painkillers including Oxycontin, morphine, methadone and Lortab were taken
from the Albertsons store at 760 E. Main, Lehi. Lehi Police Sgt. Jeff
Swenson said it is likely the narcotics were stolen to sell on the street.
Just how much the stolen drugs could generate remains unknown while the
investigation continues, he said.

Thefts of prescription painkillers are becoming common throughout the
state, as well as the country, forcing pharmacists to ramp up security at
their stores. This spring, a man was arrested following a high-speed chase
through three northern Utah counties just hours after he allegedly stole
Oxycontin in an armed robbery at a Roy Walgreens.

In November, another man reportedly walked into a Draper pharmacy shortly
after midnight and demanded Oxycontin at gunpoint.

The following day, after a three-month undercover investigation, police
arrested seven students and officials suspended another 17 for allegedly
selling painkillers, mostly Lortab and Oxycontin, at two Weber County high
schools.

At the height of distribution, investigators estimate that some 100
Oxycontin and other pills flowed through Bonneville High School each week,
and about 50 pills per week at Roy High School.

This past week thieves broke into the Lehi store by prying open the front
door either on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. An in-store video camera had
been switched off, and the alarm system in the pharmacy apparently failed
to work, he said.

The alarm system sounded, however, when officers arrived, Swenson said.

In Orem, two men are suspected of forcing open the front door at a Harmon's
Grocery store, 870 E. 800 North, about 3:30 a.m. Saturday, then breaking
into the pharmacy. An inventory is under way to determine what was taken.

The thieves tripped an alarm and fled before police arrived. Officers found
the men's tracks in the snow. In-store video tapes show two men wearing
hooded sweatshirts, Lt. Doug Edwards said.

A delay in reporting by the alarm monitoring company slowed the police
response, Edwards said. Police arrived at the store two minutes after
receiving the call, he said.

Kendall Oldroyd, owner of S.O.S. Drug Store in Springville, said his
pharmacy has been robbed so many times of painkillers in the past 40 years
he had to put bars over his windows.

Oldroyd said a thief once held up the pharmacy with a gun and demanded all
the Oxycontin in the store.

Oldroyd said he was once robbed twice in the same week. However, since he
put the bars over his windows three to four years ago, he said there hasn't
been an incident.

A Provo pharmacist said robberies at his drug store are rare. What is more
common, he said, is prescription fraud for painkillers.

"That's one of the biggest challenges out there as far as drug abuse is
concerned," said Springville Police Lt. Dave Caron. "A lot of people get
into street drugs because of their addiction to pain killers."

The Provo pharmacist, who asked not to be named out of fear of being
robbed, said it can be difficult to spot a fake prescription.

"Unless there's something unusual about it, you can't call everyone in," he
said.

Because he knows most of his customers he is suspicious of new clients
seeking painkillers who pay with large sums of cash. He said in the last
five years, there have been two arrests at his pharmacy for prescription fraud.

Oldroyd said he can typically spot fake prescriptions because he is
familiar with most of his clients and their ailments. He said fraud is
probably more common at chain stores, where customers come and go.

Edwards said the thieves who broke into the Orem pharmacy probably did so
because they knew it would be closed Christmas Eve. Many grocery stores
with pharmacies are open 24 hours.

And while alarm systems and video cameras can help catch suspects, Oldroyd
said such technology is not always the answer.

"Our alarm didn't do us a lot of good," he said. "We've had thieves who
were in and out in 39 seconds. The video camera just taped them."

Citing the rising problem of painkiller theft and abuse, the Drug
Enforcement Administration recently announced a new toll-free hotline to
report illegal use of the prescription drugs. Anonymous tips can be
reported by phone at 1-877-RxAbuse (792-2873) or online at www.dea.gov.