Police: Burglars snatch prescription meds from pharmacies
Police are searching for burglars who stole prescription medication and money from several pharmacies in Newport Beach early Wednesday morning.
In surveillance footage from the Hill Pharmacy, 1441 Avocado Ave., two masked individuals are seen breaking glass and taking money from the cash register.
The burglars also took prescription medication, but it was not immediately known exactly what types of medications were taken, said Jennifer Manzella, Newport Beach police spokeswoman.
The crime, discovered by police at 2:06 a.m., was the first in a string of burglaries.
Less than two miles away, ATMs at two Rite Aids, at 3141 E. Coast Highway and 1610 San Miguel Drive, respectively, were pried open and the cash inside was taken, Manzella said.
Investigators are working to determine if, and how, the three burglaries are related.
“We’re definitely looking at the possibility that this is a coordinated effort by a group of people or the same group going from location to location,” Manzella said.
The Newport Police Department is also working with other jurisdictions, such as Garden Grove, which has seen similar crimes in recent days.
“With this crime trend, there’s a good chance the suspects are working in multiple jurisdictions,” Manzella said.
Pharmacy burglaries have become a rising trend across the Southern California area over the past year, she said.
“I’m assuming it’s because they’ve been successful thus far,” Manzella said. “It seems there is an opportunity to sell the prescription relatively quickly and money from the ATM is a quick payoff for the criminal.”
In March 2015, a Costa Mesa pharmacy was burglarized — sparking a brief police pursuit down Harbor Boulevard.
Nuran Alteir is a contributor to Times Community News.
Twitter: @whatnuransaid