Indiana crackdown on opioids sparks more robberies of pharmacies
A look at the top 10 states for pharmacy robberies in 2009 to 2016: INDIANA: 651 CALIFORNIA: 597 ARIZONA: 325 TENNESSEE: 281 PENNSYLVANIA: 276 FLORIDA: 268 OHIO: 250 WASHINGTON: 247 MARYLAND: 200 NORTH CAROLINA: 200 Associated Press
INDIANAPOLIS — As the nation’s opioid epidemic intensified, Indiana cracked down on over-prescribing doctors and “pill mills” catering to people with addictions. The state also took aim at doctor-shopping — the practice of visiting multiple physicians to score more painkillers.
The measures had an impact, but not what officials hoped for.
While making opioid prescriptions harder to get, the crackdown also helped spur a twofold increase in robberies of pharmacies that exacerbated the state’s standing as No. 1 in the nation for those crimes. Between 2009 and 2016, Indiana had 651 pharmacy robberies — the most in the U.S. and more than the 597 recorded by No. 2 California, which has six times the population, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration recordsshow.
The frequent holdups reflect a grim reality: With each regulation or law enforcement tactic, the opioid crisis quickly shape-shifts to evade new obstacles. Dealers and those struggling with addictions adapt, and the epidemic continues with little interruption.
“They’re always looking for wherever they can get their foothold. And once they do, they’re going to take advantage,” said Tom Prevoznik, a deputy chief of pharmaceutical investigations with the DEA in Arlington, Va.
Pharmacies and law enforcement agencies in Indianapolis, where most of the robberies have occurred, are fighting back. Pharmacy chains have installed time release safes that won’ t open for several minutes, forcing robbers to risk arrest by waiting. Signs so far are positive. Robberies in Indianapolis numbered only eight through early June, compared with 55 for all of 2016.
But some criminals responded to those efforts by traveling from Indianapolis to small suburban towns to rob pharmacies, including one in January in Elwood, about 40 miles from Indianapolis, where two robbers herded frantic employees into a bathroom after threateningthem with a hand gun.
Indiana’s economic makeup has made it a likely breeding ground for opioid addiction for years.
The 2008 financial crisis hit the state’s manufacturing economy hard, causing waves of layoffs. And physically demanding jobs in heavy industry have long left workers prone to injuries that could lead to prescriptionsfor pain killers.
Four years ago, the Legislature directed the state’s Medical Licensing Board to draft rules requiring patients to visit their doctors periodically to keep getting prescription refills. The changes included requiring doctors to use an online database to check patients’ use of controlled substances.
But stemming easy access to opioids probably contributed to the binge of 168 robberies in 2015, more than twice the previous year’s total, as more people addicted to prescription opioid sr ob bed stores seeking painkillers and other potent drugs, said Greg Zoeller, who was Indiana’s attorney general at the time.
The hold ups—sometimesmore than five ada yin Indianapolis — flooded the black market with nearly 200,000 pills, primarily painkillers.
Lt. Craig McCartt, who oversees robbery investigations for Indianapolis police, said 85 percent of Indianapolis’ pharmacy robberies in 2015 were committed by juveniles enlisted by adult dealers offering cash and gifts to rob the stores.
Amid that crime spree, Indianapolis police teamed up with the DEA, FBI and federal prosecutors for a multi-agency approach that has led to the indictments of 35 people, including six juveniles, in 62 of the robberies.