On Tuesday, July 5th the Dearborn Heights Police Department says a man walked into a CVS Pharmacy on Beech Daly and Joy Road, pulled out a silver revolver, and demanded employees give him pills.
“He specifically called them by name...and he also knew where these items were locked up,” says Dearborn Heights Police Chief Jerrod Hart.
The protected pills all have one ingredient in common, Oxycontin.
“It’s a very brazen crime and again it just speaks to the power of these opioids and addiction,” says Hart.
It happened just before 10:00 am. It’s unknown at this time how much the suspect was able to get away with. Hart says they were not the only neighborhood hit.
“Were getting phone calls from other communities saying they have experienced similar problems as well,” says Hart.
10 days earlier, on June 25th Devz Pharmacy in Canton was also robbed at gunpoint. The suspect demanded pills and cash. Right now police are investigating if the two incidents are connected.
Chief Hart says many departments are on standby, adding it's typically a day or two before the next hit.
A spokesperson with the DEA says "Oftentimes these are serial robberies where a person or persons will rob several locations.
The DEA spokesperson also referred to a multi-state pharmacy drug robbery scheme last year involving 10 pharmacies in 5 different states.
"It’s unthinkable we are still dealing with these things in 2022 because of the power of addiction,” says Hart.
Dearborn Heights PD tells me they are increasing patrols at their pharmacies because of the spike in crime.
