Drug thefts prompting tight pharmacy security

PIKEVILLE, Ky. – Carrie Cinnamond realized just how much times have changed when she had a steel vault hauled into her pharmacy in eastern Kentucky.

Two break-ins in two weeks by burglars in search of painkillers forced her to adopt many of the same security measures used at the bank down the street.

Ever since prescription painkillers such as OxyContin became drugs of choice among dealers and addicts in Appalachia, the days of small-town pharmacists dispensing medicines from behind an ordinary counter have become a quaint memory.

Now many pharmacies have turned into virtual fortresses. Some now have bars over the windows. The most sought-after drugs are stored in vaults. The pharmacists often work behind safety glass, and some even arm themselves. Surveillance cameras and alarm systems monitor every spot.

Pharmaceutical companies also have adopted practices from the banking industry, delivering prescription pills in armored trucks protected by armed guards and tracked by satellites on carefully chosen routes.

“We feel very strongly that we have a commitment to protect the public and to make sure these drugs are available for people who need them,” said Aaron Graham, vice president of corporate security at Purdue Pharma, Connecticut-based manufacturer of OxyContin.

“You do that by making sure they’re not stolen or diverted,” Graham said. “Armored vehicles are just one part of the protocol. We use space-age technology involving global positioning to make sure we know where our product is all the time.”

For Cinnamond, the popularity of OxyContin forced her to take extra measures. Burglars broke into her pharmacy twice in 2001 and tried unsuccessfully a third time after she upgraded security.

Graham, a former Drug Enforcement Administration agent whose Purdue Pharma team advises pharmacies on security, said most drug stores have taken measures to protect against thefts.

“Certainly, there are still some soft targets out there,” he said “But the prudent pharmacist knows he’s got an expensive, valuable commodity that needs to be protected.”

Since last year, Purdue Pharma has given $1.5 million in grants to police departments to combat abuse of the drug. More than $680,000 of the grants have gone to police agencies in Kentucky, among the hardest hit with prescription drug abuse.

Jackson pharmacist Everett Dunaway has armed himself. The weapon came in handy when a man walked into the Family Pharmacy with a shotgun under his long coat and demanded drugs. When Dunaway pulled his own gun, the would-be robber fled.

“It’s at times a dangerous profession,” Dunaway said.