A 34-year-old woman has been charged with a list of theft and fraud-related offences after more than 400,000 Percocet pills were stolen from the northeast Edmonton pharmacy where she worked.
Edmonton police allege the employee stole 401,500 tablets from the pharmacy between January 2017 and April 2018. The pills have a street value of about $2 million, according to police.
Police allege the woman was using the identities of pharmacy customers to order the medications, which she then took from the pharmacy.
Police said several other types of medication were also missing.
“It was actually brought to the police’s attention by the Alberta College of Pharmacy, who noticed a discrepancy in the number of pills being ordered versus the number of Percocet pills being distributed by the pharmacy,” Edmonton Police Service spokesperson Cheryl Voordenhout said.
Officers searched the woman’s home back in April and seized a loaded, stolen firearm, police said in a media release Tuesday morning.
Get daily National news
There were two children in the home at the time. Police said the woman’s name will not be released in order to protect the identity of the children.
The woman was arrested on July 26. She is now charged with the following:
- Men convicted in death of family crossing Manitoba border seek acquittal, new trial
- Family of Menendez brothers meet with district attorney to discuss resentencing
- Man accused of killing girlfriend, her father in Halifax was wanted in Toronto shooting
- RCMP seize millions of dollars worth of equipment from alleged chop shop in Alberta
- Theft over $5,000
- Possession of stolen property over $5,000
- Possession for purposes of trafficking
- Fraud over $5,000
- False pretense over $5,000
- Identity fraud with intent to obtain property
- Unsafe storage of a firearm
- Possession of a restricted firearm
- Possession of a loaded firearm
- Two counts of causing a child to be in need of intervention
Police did not specify which pharmacy was involved in the investigation, only saying it was in the Beverly area.
“This is definitely a great arrest for our northeast section,” Voordenhout said. “We’re obviously happy to be able to stop the theft of these pills and ensure that this doesn’t happen again.
“We don’t want to see this many pills out on the street so we’re glad that it was stopped.”
The Alberta College of Pharmacy said in a statement it is aware of the police investigation and has been working with the Edmonton Police Service on the file.
“The criminal charges laid by EPS are against an individual who is not a pharmacist or pharmacy technician, but was an employee of the pharmacy,” read a statement emailed to Global News.
“ACP is investigating potential contributing factors within the responsibility of the pharmacy licensee that could have prevented and/or contributed to the theft of this large amount of Percocet. The loss of this quantity of prescription drugs, and particularly a drug that is subject to abuse, is of great concern to our college. ACP is unable to comment further until our investigation is complete.”
Voordenhout said patients whose information was used have all been notified.
Percocet is the brand name of a drug that contains two medications: oxycodone and acetaminophen.
Comments