Pubdate: Wed, 20 Feb 2002
Source: Wisconsin State Journal (WI)
Copyright: 2002 Madison Newspapers, Inc.
Contact:  http://www.wisconsinstatejournal.com/
Address: PO Box 8975,  Madison, WI 53708-8975
Author: Barry Adams, Police reporter
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?186 (Oxycontin)

WOMAN SUSPECTED OF ROBBING PHARMACIES FOR DRUG

Police on Wednesday released a sketch of a woman suspected of robbing three 
area pharmacies of a powerful painkiller.

The drawing was made after the armed robbery Wednesday morning of the 
Walgreen Drug Store at 5300 Monona Drive.

It's the fourth robbery this year where the robber was after OxyContin, a 
time-release painkiller typically prescribed to cancer patients, said Lt. 
Brian Ackeret, commander of the Dane County Narcotics and Gang Task Force.

Usage is "something we've seen an increase in in the past six months," 
Ackeret said.

When used correctly, the drug is swallowed as a pill and slowly released 
into the system.

Those abusing the drug crush the pill and snort it through the nose or 
inject it into the bloodstream. The pill also can be chewed, which like the 
previous two methods, eliminates the time-release effect of the drug and 
gives users a high, Ackeret said.

On the street, the pill sells for up to $1 per milligram and the tablet 
typically comes in 20, 40 or 80 milligram doses. The drug is also obtained 
through fake prescriptions, Ackeret said.

Wednesday's robbery occurred about 8:45 a.m. when a woman displayed a 
long-barreled handgun to a pharmacist and demanded the drug. No was 
injured. It wasn't known how the woman left, said Monona Police Detective 
Sgt. Richard O'Connor.

"I would say this girl is desperate," O'Connor said. "She has an addiction 
problem. Hopefully, we can catch her before somebody gets hurt."

The woman is also suspected of robberies Saturday in the Walgreens at 3710 
E. Washington Ave. and last month at Oregon Pharmacy in Oregon.

She is described as white, in her early to mid 20s, with brown eyes and 
brown eyebrows and a round, pale face. She is between 5 feet 1 inch and 5 
feet 4 inches tall and weighs about 140 pounds. She was last seen wearing a 
black hooded jacket.

Shafer Pharmacy, 1255 Williamson St., was robbed of drugs, including 
OxyContin, Jan. 2. The robber in that case was a man, police said. No 
arrests have been made in that case.
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MAP posted-by: Terry Liittschwager