Thousands of dollars worth of opioids stolen from Utah pharmacies
Sep 11, 2023, 6:20 PM | Updated: 7:35 pm
CACHE COUNTY, Utah — Two Cache Valley pharmacies reported thousands of dollars worth of prescription drugs were stolen from their shelves.
The pharmacies say the thieves swiped dozens of bottles of narcotics off their shelves, and they believe the break-ins are linked.
“This is where he gets caught in the door,” said Phil Cowley, showing KSL the security footage. “This is where he wishes he wore a belt.”
Cowley owns Cache Valley Pharmacy and is an online content creator known as “Phil’s My Pharmacist.”
“It helped our business. We probably wouldn’t be going if it wasn’t for the TikTok. We were doing pretty poorly.,” he said.
Cowley said on Saturday that an individual in a hoodie shattered the business’s glass windows and broke into his pharmacy.
“He swept the lower shelf and he got all the hydrocodone,” Cowley said.
Cowley said the theft took about 5,000 tablets that are worth around $6,000. He said the getaway car was a white SUV.
“I think people are probably using that a little more often than they are oxycodone,” he said. “Now that those are all fentanyl and people are overdosing. My assumption is they can make some money off of it.”
He posted the footage of the break-in on social media to spread the word. He said the TikTok has sparked the attention of people across the country.
“I got a call from a DEA agent in another state who’s been following something very similar and believes this is probably the same guys,” Cowley said.
@philsmypharmacist My pharmacy was robbed last night. If you have any information let us know. We are the second pharmacy in the valley to be robbed in the past 2 weeks. #philsmypharmacist #cachevalleypharmacy #theft #robbery ♬ original sound – Philsmypharmacist
In August, Reed’s Pharmacy in Hyrum also got hit.
“Mainly painkillers is what they took from us,” said Taurean Stewart, a pharmacist from Reed’s Pharmacy.
The Reed’s Pharmacy pharmacists said their friends at a Wyoming pharmacy are also dealing with opioid theft. They believe the incidents are linked.
“Almost all of these that I can think of are smaller, independent pharmacies more on the outskirts,” Stewart said.
And both Utah pharmacies are warning others.
“The last thing we want to see if these guys going into an open store and causing problems,” Cowley said.
KSL contacted Salt Lake City’s DEA, Cache County Sheriff’s Office, and North Park police to see if any of these thefts are linked.
