Thieves crash car into store, steal drugs
Police are searching for burglars who drove a stolen vehicle through the entrance of a CVS pharmacy in Whittier early Wednesday and stole decongestants used to make methamphetamine in an incident similar to one that occurred in Anaheim a day earlier.
Officers were dispatched to the store in the 12000 block of Whittier Boulevard after the building’s burglary alarm sounded at 2:20 a.m., Officer Diane Salazar said. Inside, they found a red Nissan Sentra, but the suspects probably fled in another vehicle, Salazar said.
An unknown quantity of drugs that contain pseudoephedrine, which is used in decongestants, was taken, Salazar said. The drugs are often mixed with other chemicals to produce methamphetamine, she said.
Surveillance videos showed possibly two or more suspects were in the Nissan, which was stolen in Orange County, Salazar said. Officers are trying to determine whether the incident is linked to a similar burglary at an Anaheim CVS pharmacy.
Shortly after midnight Tuesday, Anaheim police responded to a 911 call that reported a burglar alarm at the CVS store in the 1600 block of West Katella Avenue. A white Toyota Camry had crashed through the store’s glass door entrance, Sgt. Rick Martinez said.
A man and woman apparently swiped decongestants like Sudafed and Claritin from the store before fleeing in a red compact getaway car, Martinez said.
Authorities are trying to track down the registered owner of the Camry, which was found with its engine still running, he said.
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