The recent armed robbery of an Olds pharmacy, where oxycontin and morphine were taken, points to a troubling new trend ñ rural drugstores being held up at gunpoint for narcotics just like their city counterparts.
ìIt is definitely a situation where we see the same crimes that we've seen in the larger urban areas starting to happen in rural areas,î said RCMP spokesperson Sgt. Patrick Webb.
ìIt may be people coming out from the city or it may be somebody living in a rural area just deciding that it looks like a good idea to me and doing the same crime, actually doing it at home.î
The Olds Rexall Drug Store was held up by two masked and armed suspects on February 1. After forcing a staff member to open a safe in the store, the culprits made off with what police are calling a ìsignificant quantityî of oxycontin, amphetamines, morphine and codeine.
ìWe are seeing car thefts and all sorts of other things that are happening within the cities seeming to migrate out to rural areas as well,î he added.
RCMP detachments in rural Alberta are working with local pharmacies to ensure security provisions are in place, he said.
ìWe will certainly work with them on any precautions that they need, that they can utilize. We can't direct them about what they should or should not be keeping on hand. That's a decision for them to make.
ìThe pharmaceutical industry in Alberta warn themselves quite well on how to securely handle drugs and a lot of pharmacies are actually not keeping narcotics on hand. They are simply bringing it in when required simply because it is so much of an enticement.î
