The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration has seen an increase in burglaries at independent pharmacies across the country. Nearly 900 burglaries involving the theft of controlled substances were reported to DEA in 2023. Stolen prescription medications adversely impact these small businesses while also putting patients and the community at risk.
Earlier today in the Eastern District of Arkansas, representatives from the DEA joined the U.S. Attorney’s Office to announce the results of a 21-month investigation into a Houston-based drug trafficking organisation (DTO) responsible for hundreds of pharmacy burglaries across the country.
The culmination of this investigation led to the arrest of an additional 24 members of the DTO last month in Houston, bringing the total number of people facing charges connected to this drug ring to 42.
The results of the first phase of this operation were announced in December.
DEA’s Little Rock District Office led the investigation after identifying a string of pharmacy burglaries and thefts of pharmaceutical medications throughout Arkansas.
With the assistance of DEA’s Special Operations Division, this organisation has been linked to more than 200 pharmacy burglaries across the United States, including Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, and Wyoming.
Oxycodone, hydrocodone, alprazolam, and promethazine with codeine cough syrup were among the most common controlled substances stolen and transported to Houston to be sold illegally.
“From November 2023 to July 2024, the DEA, with our law enforcement partners, took down 42 individuals behind nearly 200 pharmacy burglaries in 31 states. This Houston-based network targeted rural pharmacies, stealing powerful drugs like Oxycodone, Xanax, and Adderall to flood the streets,” said Administrator Anne Milgram. “These criminals even crawled on floors to dodge security, but they couldn’t escape us. We dismantled their entire operation-street dealers, burglars, and all. In the fight against the opioid epidemic, the DEA is relentless in shutting down those who profit from fueling addiction.”
In addition to today’s announcement, DEA has released a safety alert video and additional resources to help protect against pharmacy burglaries.
This operation is part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations threatening the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach.
Preventing the Diversion of Controlled Substances
The DEA is responsible for preventing, detecting, and investigating the diversion of controlled substances and listed chemicals and regulating the nearly two million DEA registrants that manufacture, distribute, import, or export controlled substances.
Under the authority of the controlled substances laws and regulations of the United States, the DEA uses a range of tools, including both criminal and administrative penalties, to protect our communities from the harms of illegally distributed controlled substances.
