A three-man burglary team has spent the last three months targeting mom-and-pop pharmacies throughout New York City, stealing cash and opioids — but NYPD detectives may have scored a break in the case after their last heist, officials said Saturday.
Cops recovered clear surveillance images of one of the men responsible for the 10 heists that have occurred mostly in Queens, but have also spread to Brooklyn and the Bronx, police said.
More than $3,500 in cash, as well as Oxycodone and other opioids, have been taken, cops said. No injuries have been reported.
Police on Saturday released the image in the hopes someone recognizes him.
DCPI
One of the three men responsible for the 10 pharmacy heists that have occurred mostly in Queens, Brooklyn and the Bronx, police said.
The crew has been targeting independent pharmacies since Dec. 6, when they smashed the roll-down security gate to the Shalom Pharmacy on Main St. near 72nd Drive in Kew Gardens Hills during a 5 a.m. break-in. Once inside, the suspects stole $200 in cash and $35 worth of lottery tickets, officials said.
Less than an hour later the suspects struck again, this time hitting the True Care Pharmacy on 69th Ave. near 164th St. in Flushing, where they smashed the glass door and removed $100 from the register.
The crew resurfaced on Dec. 12, where they tried to break open a security roll-down gate at Mercy Pharmacy and Surgical Supplies on 51st St. in Astoria, but they abandoned the attempt before they could get inside. Surveillance cameras in the area recorded a gray Infiniti sedan leaving the scene.
On Saturday, workers at Mercy Pharmacy said they were never informed of the attempted break-in.
“Nobody even told me,” a store clerk, who would only identify herself as Ethi, told the Daily News.
At around the time the break-in occurred, store owners added several more locks to the roll down gate and front door, Ethi, 29, recalled.
“We did put three more locks,” she said. “It’s hard for us to even open when we come here. There’s more on the gate and the door.”
Pharmacy workers said that shoplifters usually steal formula, aspirin and other over-the-counter drugs. But prescription medication thefts were rare.
“They’re definitely selling [the stolen drugs],” she said. “I’m not surprised they’d be stealing over the counters and stuff, but drugs? I’m surprised.”
“As a pharmacy we get paid through insurances, Medicaid, Medicare, it goes directly [to us],” said part-time pharmacist Nihad Arama. “So anyone who wants to steal from a pharmacy they’re gonna steal products.
“I’m sure it’s someone that already worked in a pharmacy and they know where things are,” Arama surmised.
The thieves also hit the Hyatt Pharmacy on 30th Ave. near Crescent St. in Astoria on Dec. 12, but were again unable to get inside, cops said.
“Somehow they got the electronic gate opened. I think they picked the lock or something,” pharmacy employee Sammy, 32, told The News Saturday. “They opened it and with a big rock they tried to throw it at the glass door. Miraculously it didn’t break, even though it’s just normal glass.”
The two thieves had masks covering their noses and mouths, Sammy said.
DCPI
Cops recovered clear surveillance images of one of the three men responsible for the 10 heists that have occurred mostly in Queens, but have also spread to Brooklyn and the Bronx, police said.
“It’s kind of worrying,” he said. “We don’t want them taking [anything], especially the narcotics. They probably give it to people [and] assist in their addiction.”
Since the break-in, Sammy’s boss has fortified the store’s security system.
“The alarm is now quicker,” he said. “If anyone’s trying to touch the door or picklock the metal gate like they did last time [it’ll] send a signal to police.”
Three days after the Hyatt Pharmacy heist, the thieves struck again, this time hitting three Queens pharmacies in a single morning before the stores opened. They either shattered the locked front glass doors or used a crowbar to pry open a security gate. During the heists they removed $400 in cash from one store and various narcotics from another, according to police.
Cops recovered surveillance footage of one of the thieves, who sported a mask was dressed head to toe in black, and was holding a crowbar.
By Dec. 20, the thieves switched up their game and moved their operation to Brooklyn, where they snapped the locks to a roll-down gate at the Dyker Heights Pharmacy on 13th Ave. near 80th St.
The Brooklyn store was their biggest heist yet, cops said. After forcing open the gate they used a crowbar to smash a window to get inside and steal $2,400 in cash and an assortment of drugs.
This time, the thieves had a getaway driver in the Infiniti sedan waiting to take them out of the neighborhood, cops discovered.
The burglars laid low in January, but resurfaced on Feb. 5 in the Bronx where they smashed a glass door to the Purple Specialty Pharmacy on West Farms Road near E. 173rd St. in Crotona Park East, across the street from Starlight Park. They fled the scene with $448 worth of prescription drugs and opioids.
The burglary spree continued through Monday. The thieves returned to Queens and were caught on camera trying to break into the LV RX Pharmacy on Woodhaven Blvd. right outside Forest Park at Park Lane South.
One of the suspects was seen cutting the surveillance camera to the store during the 5 a.m. heist, cops said. He then used a crowbar to force open the front door, but the door wouldn’t budge.
The hooded thief, who was caught on surveillance footage smoking a cigarette outside the store, is described as a man with a thin build between 25 to 35 years old. He fled the scene in a gray Hyundai, cops said.
As police prepare for more break-ins, they’re hoping someone recognizes the thief from the most recent burglary. Once cops nab this suspect, more arrests could follow, officials said.
Anyone with information regarding this burglary spree is urged to call NYPD Crime Stoppers at (800) 577-TIPS. All calls will be kept confidential.
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