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Drug thief hits second CVS
Police officers say the man who robbed the store might be the same man who stole drugs from a CVS in July.
By TAMARA EL-KHOURY
Published September 16, 2006
LARGO - A man who robbed a CVS pharmacy of drugs instead of cash in July apparently has struck again, police say. Largo officers responded to the CVS at 4000 East Bay Drive at 12:31 a.m. Thursday. A man went to the store's pharmacy and jumped the counter, police said. He threatened the pharmacist, implying he had a weapon, and demanded the pharmacist open the pharmacy safe. The pharmacist complied, and the suspect strolled out of the store through the front doors. He left with four types of narcotics including oxycodone and fentanyl patches, police said. Sgt. Edward Sohoski said the retail value of Thursday's robbery is $5,000. The street value of the suspect's stash is unknown, but Sohoski said one OxyContin pill could go for $25 to $30 on the street. A higher milligram pill could go for more. The man is described as a white male in his 20s, about 6 feet tall and weighing 170 pounds. He was last seen wearing a dark green jacket, a white cap, sneakers and a blue backpack. Police think he may be the same man who committed a similar robbery July 5 at the CVS at 13998 Walsingham Road. In that robbery, the man was armed with a knife and police say the way the robbery was executed is similar to the most recent one. In both instances the man was captured on a surveillance video and the images appear to be of the same man, police said. Mike DeAngelis, spokesman for CVS pharmacy, said he wouldn't comment on security measures but said that pharmacy robberies aren't limited to Florida. "I wouldn't call it an increasing trend," he said. "Pharmaceuticals are a target for robberies." But Tampa Bay law enforcement officials have said they have seen an increase in prescription fraud, pharmacy robberies and doctor shopping. Sohoski said he has seen a rise in robberies and burglaries in which criminals are stealing prescription pain relievers. "There is an increase in this and it's not just our jurisdiction," he said.
[Last modified September 16, 2006, 06:33:57]
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