Memphis, TN—
Fast facts
- Thieves Taking Narcotics from Pharmacies
- Getting Bolder and More Creative
- Now Smashing Walls and Taking Drugs
dennis.turner@wreg.com
(Memphis 6/30/2009) Thieves looking for drugs are going to unusual lengths to get what they're after.
Pharmacy robberies are nothing new, but now the crooks are taking a tactic used by convenience store robbers and modifying it to bust into storehouses of dangerous drugs.
Years ago, crooks just started smashing windows, mostly at convenience stores, and taking what they wanted.
These so-called "smash-and-grab" robberies were successful enough, a new type of criminal, a more dangerous criminal has modified that tactic with alarming success lately.
A driver doesn't just accidentally drive into a newly-repaired wall. Police believe it happened because the driver wanted to get to the narcotics inside.
It's just the kind of thing Nora Nelson noticed on her last trip to the Doctor's office, "We seen the door to the pharmacy was all boarded up and things on it and we asked what happened and he said it was the second time they broke through the door to take drugs out of there."
Over the weekend, crooks hit the Smith-Wiles Pharmacy in Midtown taking thousands of dollars of narcotics, the kind dealers crave and make big money from on the streets.
Police say they're aware of the trend, more than a dozen since April, and want to stop it. "We've made arrests in a could but it's different groups and it's been very difficult for our burglary investigators," said Deputy Chief Joe Scott of the Memphis Police Department.
One thing police have noticed is a quick response makes a big difference. "Officers know that they have to respond to these quickly. This is in all of our tracking meetings and meetings that we've had. We are really emphasizing watching these drug stores," Scott said.
But stopping a crook that's cutting into or smashing into a wall to get what they want, might be a little tough, say some. "The people who's doin' it they know where the drugs are. They need to take the drugs and put 'em in a better, safe place," said Nelson's husband James.
And until police can stop these crimes, the Nelson's say prevention may be the only hope that people who need those drugs legitimately, can get them easily. "They're gonna have to put some kind of security on, or like the pharmacist said you're gonna have to go to the hospital to get narcotics because the regular pharmacies can't do it," said Nora Nelson.
Pharmacies, especially the chain stores, won't comment about crimes involving their stores, but Charlie Smith of the Smith-Wiles Pharmacy gave us a hint. He says if crooks try to break into his place again, they'll find some surprises.
