U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration officials in Omaha say five members of a Houston-based organization known for targeting rural pharmacies in Western Iowa and Western Nebraska for controlled substances in May and June of 2022 and 2023 now face federal charges.
While officials did not identify which pharmacies or communities were involved, two reported Panhandle pharmacy burglaries in which narcotics were taken were in Alliance in May 2023, and in Bridgeport the following month.
Across the DEA Omaha Division, which encompasses Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota, 34 pharmacy break-ins have been reported dating back to 2022, with half of them in Nebraska, and 11 in Iowa.
Investigators worked alongside local and state law enforcement partners to identify and arrest those individuals responsible for breaking into and stealing from pharmacies in Iowa and Nebraska. Pharmaceuticals including hydrocodone, oxycodone, morphine, Adderall ® and Xanax ®, were among the most common drugs stolen. The stolen pharmaceuticals were transported to Houston and sold illegally.
“These five individuals mistakenly thought that targeting rural communities would provide an opportunity to commit a crime and fade into the wind unrecognized and unaffected,” DEA Omaha Division Special Agent in Charge Steven T. Bell said. “What they failed to realize is that the DEA goes to great lengths to ensure justice is served for those impacted by this senseless act, no matter how rural or remote the location may be. Pharmacy theft is not a victimless crime.”
The group of five is part of a larger conspiracy in which 42 individuals hailing from Houston’s Fifth Ward are charged with breaking into more than 200 pharmacies across 31 states and stealing an estimated $12 million worth of controlled substances.
