MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Five crooks got away from a Costco pharmacy with more than $21,700 worth of prescription drugs, police say.
Police said a surveillance camera captured five men using a sledgehammer to break through the cinder block wall at the Costco on Germantown Parkway just after 2 a.m. Memorial Day.
They were then seen leaving with bags filled with prescription pill bottles.
“That’s terrible. I mean, wow,” said shopper Deborah Volner.
When police arrived just minutes after the break-in, the men had already left. Police found a sledgehammer and a pair of brown gloves at the scene.
Some of the prescriptions stolen include opioids.
“It’s gonna most likely hit the streets and be sold,” said Dr. Theodore Bender, CEO of Turning Point, a Southaven-based addiction treatment center.
The thieves also took about 100 estrogen pills.
Other drugs stolen include brands like Klonopin, Bupren and Librium.
“You mentioned Klonopin, you have Xanex, you have Tranxend, you have Librium. All of those drugs have abuse potential and all of them are used to treat anxiety,” said Bender.
Bender said the recent break-in points to a larger trend of pharmacies and transit trucks being targeted, which is why he’s calling for greater security.
