Prescription Drug Crimes Create Growing Problem For Pharmacies.
Hydrocodone Target Of Pharmacy Break-Ins.



From drug store robberies to illegal pill mills, police and doctors agree a string of recent crimes involving Northeast Florida pharmacies is evidence of a dangerous trend.

They said prescription addiction is on the rise and those hooked on pills have begun to go to some desperate measures to get their hands on the drugs.

In Clay County,Florida deputies said some crooks have been getting behind pharmacy counters and getting away with powerful and highly addictive pain killers.



On Tuesday, one man was arrested after admitting to robbing a pharmacy, authorities said.

However, two area pharmacies in just two weeks have become crime scenes after someone stole Hydrocodone pills and other prescription drugs.

Police said drugs, like Hydrocodone, are one of the biggest problems they have on the streets because the pills are very addictive and those who sell the pills stand to make a lot of money.

That's why they said it was very important that they find all the culprits of the recent pharmacy break-ins.

Less than a week after the Family Medical Center Pharmacy in Keystone Heights,Florida fell victim to a pill pilferer, North Florida Pharmacy was also hit.

Alisa Sanford, R. Ph, of North Florida Pharmacy said she found the theft odd but not totally unexpected.

"I could pretty much tell what was going to be gone as soon as I walked in the door," Sanford said.

Jacksonville,Florida Sheriff's Office booking photo of Michael Silk.


Of all the shelves of medication at the pharmacy, the one that once held bottles of Hydrocodone were the ones that were cleaned out.

"It's a significant drug because it's one of the more abused drugs underneath OxyCotin that has a high addictives factor to it. It's also one of the ones that people end up building a tolerance to and have an easy time overdosing on," said Clay County,Florida Sheriff's Office Detective Adam Graff.

Police said it did not seem the culprits in the Clay,Florida pharmacy robberies were worried about making noise when they broke in to the buildings because each time windows were busted.

"Given the extent of what they had to get into each one of them, I'd say probably the alarms or lack of alarms were the least amount of their worries," Graff said.

Detectives said 21-year-old Christopher Fore was pulled over on a routine check when officers found evidence of a pharmacy robbery.

Investigators said he confessed to robbing the North Florida Pharmacy of Keystone,Florida. He's also accused of robbing the Starke pharmacy.

Deputies said Fore admitted to stealing the prescription drugs to sell.

Nonetheless, Sanford said she has already kept what she called potent pain medications and narcotics locked in the pharmacy safe. She said because of the recent theft she would be moving more medications into the safe.



Dr. David Maurer and his assistant Sandra Lindstrum were arrested a Northside,Florida medical clinic where police say legalized drug dealing was being conducted.

"At this point, everything that may be a possibility that someone would want to steal is locked in that same area under lock and key," Sanford said.

In Jacksonville,Florida the Well Health Pharmacy on Old St. Augustine Road in Mandarin,Florida is just the latest victim of a prescription drug robbery.

According to police, Michael Silk was arrested after he pretended to have a gun and disguised himself with a hooded sweatshirt and sunglasses when he walked in and demanded the same drug stolen from the two Clay County,Florida pharmacies -- Hydrocodone.

Another testimony to the prescription drug addiction problem, police on Tuesday stormed the S&P Medical Clinic on the Northside. They said the clinic had been collecting cash for prescriptions for pain medication.

A doctor and a physician's assistant were arrested during that raid for what police said was a case of legalized drug dealing.

Doctors said these types of crimes illustrate how big of a problem pill addictions have become.

"The number of Americans that abuse prescription drugs has doubled in the last ten years," said Dr. Mohamed Saleh.

Doctors say more people die each year from prescription drugs then all street drugs combined, including meth, crack and even heroin.

"They are highly addictive. You take for three or four days and you are chemically dependent," Saleh said.