According to law enforcement officials, the looting that took place in the wake of the police killing of Freddie Gray led to Baltimore being flooded with prescription drugs such as Percocet and Oxycontin. Reportedly, 27 drugstores and two methadone clinics were looted.
Baltimore Police Commissioner Anthony W. Batts has stated that police are working with the Drug Enforcement Administration in an attempt to seize more than 175,000 doses of prescription drugs. “There [are] enough narcotics on the streets of Baltimore to keep it intoxicated for a year. … That amount of drugs has thrown off the balance on the streets of Baltimore,” said Batts.
The amount of drugs missing may go even higher as many pharmacies have not completed counting their losses from the nights of looting. In addition, authorities are raising the alarm of potential “medical identity theft” because of stolen patient information located on prescription bottles. Criminals can use this personal information to illegally fill prescriptions or combine it with other information to attempt other acts of fraud. Because of the very real threat to its customers, pharmacy giant Rite-Aid has hired risk management firm Kroll to mitigate the potential damages. The company is encouraging customers to call Kroll at 1-855-294-2551 between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m., or Rite Aid at 1-800-RITE-AID.
