Tampa Bay Criminal Defense Lawyer - Pharmacy Pill Crackdown

By Nick Dorsten, Esq.

Does a recent crackdown on so called "pill mills" mean there will be a rise in pharmacy robberies? From the Times website...

PINELLAS: A 23-year-old man pushing a toddler in tow threatened to shoot the pharmacist as he robbed a St. Petersburg CVS.

Another man stabbed a Tarpon Springs pharmacy clerk in the neck, demanding pain pills.

And in a recent case out of New York, a man shot and killed four pharmacy employees in a painkiller holdup.

Once considered a safe and sterile environment, pharmacies have become increasingly frequent targets among the growing number of painkiller abusers. As Florida begins cracking down on pill mills, doctor shopping and prescription fraud, many fear pharmacy robberies will increase.

"When those people can't get those prescription drugs through the old methods," said a Carrollwood Pharmacy owner, "they're going to turn to other means to get them."

Those worries are echoed by law enforcement officials, who believe a crackdown on prescription drug fraud is necessary but know desperate addicts too easily turn to violent crime. Local law enforcement statistics don't distinguish pharmacy robberies from other commercial or business robberies, although an increase in drugstore crimes appears likely.

A Hillsborough County Sheriff Captain said more pharmacies are employing the same precautions banks have taken to deter robberies. Recording equipment and plexiglass-shielded counters are becoming the norm.

Budding pharmacists are taught in school to look for signs of pain pill abuse. They know they deal with a lot more criminals than pharmacists 10 or 20 years ago.

"It's really frustrating," the pharmacy student said. "I went into pharmacy because I wanted to help people. But because it's such a detective game, it kind of takes away from that ability to help those in legitimate pain."

Some pharmacists have been accused of feeding the problem, letting obvious fraud slip past them for the sake of profit. But those who prefer a safe and law-abiding business must take special measures to send their message.

The Carrollwood pharmacist, takes no chances.

His pharmacy is equipped with cameras and monitor screens and has a sign outside that reads, "We do not carry oxycodone."

"One, it's for the safety of my employees," the man said. "And two, I don't want those … coming into my pharmacy, quite honestly."

Have you been arrested on prescription pill or trafficking in oxycodone charges? Then the Pinellas, Florida based Blake & Dorsten, P.A. St. Petersburg criminal defense lawyers are at your service.

For more information, or to speak directly with experienced Pinellas County criminal defense attorneys, please contact the law firm of BLAKE AND DORSTEN, P.A. at 727.286.6141 or email the defense lawyers at: info@blakedorstenlaw.com