Walgreens Shoplifter Walks Out Of Store With $100K In Prescription Drugs

Police say a man stole $100K worth of prescription medication from a Walgreens on Monday.

Police say a man stole $100K worth of prescription medication from a Walgreens on Monday.

In the past, Walgreens has been a target for ne’er-do-wells: there were the three people caught with more than 125 stolen credit cards, and before that, the shoplifting ring accused of stealing more than $15,000 in merchandise. But those cases pale in comparison to a brazen robbery in Florida this week in which a man forced open the pharmacy department door and made off with $100,000 in prescription drugs. 

St. Petersburg police say they are investigating a robbery that occurred around 11 p.m. Monday evening while the Walgreens store was open, but the pharmacy was closed.

Surveillance video posted by the police department on YouTube, shows a man, thought to be in his 20s and wearing an Iowa State University sweatshirt, forcing open the locked metal window shutter at the pharmacy counter.

He then crawls through the opening, walks up and down the pharmacy aisles and spends nearly 20 minutes searching for bottles and filling two garbage bags with medication.

After leaving the pharmacy, the man casually walks out of the store carrying two shopping baskets. He then left the scene in a black Chevy with Michigan plates.

Police say that store workers were suspicious of the man’s behavior, but thought he had stolen candy. The man did not stop when an employee addressed him.

[via WTSP 10 News]

Want more consumer news? Visit our parent organization, Consumer Reports, for the latest on scams, recalls, and other consumer issues.