RANGELEY – Three Rangeley teenagers are accused of stealing prescription drugs from a pharmacy, including highly addictive painkillers, and then using them, giving them away and selling them, Rangeley Police Chief Phil Weymouth said Wednesday.
About 1,300 prescription drug pills are unaccounted for in a 16-day period, the chief said, according to information provided by the state.
Two of the three girls, 15 and 16, worked as cashiers at Riddle’s Pharmacy on Main Street and the other girl, 16, worked at the drugstore until December, Weymouth said. The latter continued to come to the store and steal the prescription drugs, he alleged.
The pharmacy is independently owned by Joey McLafferty, who is also the pharmacist there.
“I’m sorry but I can’t talk about that,” McLafferty said about the case, and hung up the phone when he was reached at the pharmacy Wednesday.
All three teenagers face charges of theft of prescription drugs and trafficking in prescription drugs, Weymouth said.
The girls were “not only stealing from out back, but from prescriptions that were filled,” Weymouth said. “They skimmed two to four pills off the top.”
Police officer Brian Hughes and the chief started an investigation after they received a complaint from a juvenile’s parent, Weymouth said, which was followed by complaints from school representatives, who overheard talk of stealing drugs.
There was a prior complaint to the pharmacy by a parent last year, Weymouth said, that police never received. Pharmacy representatives did a quick audit last year, he said, and there were no major discrepancies and the girls were talked to, the chief said.
Weymouth said Wednesday that he asked a pharmacy representative to check oxy pills, such as Oxycodone and OxyContin, and methadone.
The quick check showed 200 oxy pills missing, Weymouth said. A later check showed 600 more prescription drugs, such as painkillers, were missing.
He then contacted state pharmacy inspectors, who did a quick audit and plan to do a more in-depth audit, Weymouth said. The state inspectors found that about 1,300 pills were missing during a 16-day period.
Weymouth and Hughes set up surveillance cameras at the pharmacy and put a fluorescent material on the safe where drugs are kept. If someone touched the safe, Weymouth said, their hands would show blue under a certain type light.
“We have activity that show some thieving going on in an area that they’re not supposed to be in,” Weymouth said.
Police called in the girls’ parents and scanned the teens’ hands, he said.
One of the girls denied touching the safe and the other said she was making change, Weymouth said. But pharmacy representatives said that only specific people get the change, and it is not the girls.
“They confessed,” Weymouth said. “We received information that they used some of the pills, they gave some away and they sold some.”
The girls claim they have the combination to the safe, Weymouth aid.
Police recovered eight to 12 methadone and morphine pills that night, Weymouth said. Another 10 OxyContin pills, 80 milligrams each, that were reported missing the following Monday were not recovered, Weymouth said.
Police also conducted interviews with other people, and several of them confirmed the use, gifts and sales of prescription drugs, Weymouth said.
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