The US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) reported a surge in burglaries at independent pharmacies across the country, with nearly 900 reported in 2023, involving controlled substance theft.
“Stolen prescription medications adversely impact these small businesses while also putting patients and the community at risk,” the DEA said in a statement on Thursday.
Earlier on Thursday in the Eastern District of Arkansas, representatives from DEA joined the US Attorney’s Office to announce the results of a 21-month investigation into a Houston-based drug trafficking organisation (DTO) responsible for hundreds of pharmacy burglaries across the country.
The culmination of this investigation led to the arrest of an additional 24 members of the DTO last month in Houston, bringing the total number of people facing charges connected to this drug ring to 42. The results of the first phase of this operation were announced in December.
DEA’s Little Rock District Office led the investigation after identifying a string of pharmacy burglaries and thefts of pharmaceutical medications throughout Arkansas.
With the assistance of DEA’s Special Operations Division, this organisation has been linked to more than 200 pharmacy burglaries across the United States, including Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, and Wyoming,” DEA said.
Oxycodone, hydrocodone, alprazolam, and promethazine with codeine cough syrup were among the most common controlled substances stolen and transported to Houston to be sold illegally.
“From November 2023 to July 2024, the DEA, with our law enforcement partners, took down 42 individuals behind nearly 200 pharmacy burglaries in 31 states. This Houston-based network targeted rural pharmacies, stealing powerful drugs like Oxycodone, Xanax, and Adderall to flood the streets,” said Administrator Anne Milgram.
“These criminals even crawled on floors to dodge security, but they couldn’t escape us. We dismantled their entire operation-street dealers, burglars, and all. In the fight against the opioid epidemic, the DEA is relentless in shutting down those who profit from fueling addiction.”
In addition to today’s announcement, DEA has released a safety alert video and additional resources to help protect against pharmacy burglaries.
This operation is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation.
OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organisations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach.
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