SEATTLE - Robbers have been raiding the medicine cabinet, striking Washington state pharmacies in record numbers. Many are armed and extremely dangerous.
Following a series of stories by the KING 5 Investigators, major pharmacy chains are partnering with federal authorities and the Seattle Police Department to curb the crime wave.
The Drug Enforcement Administration and U.S. Attorney's Office in Seattle met with representatives of Walgreens, Rite Aid, Bartell Drugs and Safeway earlier this month.
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Robbers are usually after the powerful painkiller Oxycontin, which has a street value of up to $8,000 a bottle. Some of the pharmacies that met with the feds keep big supplies on hand, making themselves more attractive targets.
"The companies are willing to change the way they're ordering, change the order frequency and pattern so they will not have as much stock on hand," says Ruth Carter, who oversees prescription drug investigations for the Seattle office of the DEA.
The KING 5 Investigators analyzed crime statistics and found that 70 percent of pharmacy robberies in the state of Washington occur at Walgreens or Rite Aid, yet those two chains own only one fifth of pharmacies statewide.
During this month's meetings, authorities told the big chains that poor surveillance video is a common problem, making it harder to identify the robbers. One robber struck at Walgreens stores from Seattle to Portland for more than a year before a suspect was identified. Deryek Bolar was arrested by Seattle police.
Bolar was extremely dangerous, according to Seattle Police Detective Mike Magan, because "number one I think he was amped up on cocaine. Secondly, he was armed."
Walgreens denies that it's soft on security and says that the problem is specific to Washington state.
The company says its Washington drug stores had 21 times the robbery rate of its stores in California, 29 times greater than Texas Walgreens, and 200 times the robbery rate of Illinois. Robbers hit 45 Walgreens in Washington last year -- more than any other state.
Authorities say the robbery statistics correspond with the rise of prescription drug abuse, but they can't explain why Washington may be the nation's pharmacy robbery leader.
At least one Seattle pharmacist is taking matters into his own hands.
"This is a Glock 19. It's a 9 millimeter semi-automatic," said Mike Donohue, owner of Bob Johnson's pharmacy.
He keeps the hand gun tucked under his lab coat and has pulled it out three times to chase off robbers.
"If I pull it out I am ready to use it," said Donohue. "Any hostile action I'll do it without hesitation."
The Seattle DEA and Seattle Police say they're working with the pharmacy chains to make many improvements in security and training.
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