The Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office is looking for two people who burgled the Caledonia Pharmacy Friday morning.
The pharmacy is located right across the street from Caledonia Town Hall.
Sheriff Eddie Hawkins said the pharmacy’s burglar alarm went off about 4:45 a.m. When deputies arrived they found that someone had let themselves in by smashing the front door.
Surveillance footage from inside showed two Black males in masks, hoodies and gloves, Hawkins said.
“They got into a locked cabinet where all the controlled substances were, and just kind of raked it clear,” Hawkins said. “They didn’t take everything, but they took a good amount.”
Hawkins said he couldn’t yet put a dollar amount on the value of the drugs taken.
“When something like this happens, a pharmacy has to go through a complete inventory,” Hawkins said. “There’s rules that the pharmaceutical board makes them follow. Since they are selling controlled substances, they also have to (report) to the Drug Enforcement Administration what was in the store prior to the burglary. We don’t have any of that as of yet.”
The pharmacist estimated that about 75 percent of their controlled substances were taken, Hawkins said.
“That’s your opioids, your pain medication, your anti-anxiety medications like Xanax,” he said. “They did take a couple of bottles of cough syrup that contained codeine.”
Those drugs can be resold on the street, he said.
“I’m sure they’re probably using some of these drugs, but mostly they’re doing this for money,” he said.
The street value will depend on current demand and dosage, he said.
“If you’re talking about Oxycontin, for example, you’ve got 5, 10 milligrams and things like that,” he said. “Usually the dollar amount is double the milligrams. An Oxycontin 5mg would go for 10 bucks, and so on. Your hydrocodone products usually go $10 to $20 a tablet, but it also depends on where they’re selling them. If they’re plentiful, the price will be higher.”
If caught, the suspects will face burglary charges, Hawkins said. If they still have the drugs, they will likely also face possession with intent to distribute.
Anyone with knowledge of this case or any additional information is asked to contact Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office at 662-328-6788 or call Golden Triangle Crime Stoppers at 800-530-7151. Tips can also be submitted via the P3 Tips smartphone app.
Tipsters will remain anonymous, and are eligible for a cash reward if the information leads to an arrest.
Brian Jones is the local government reporter for Columbus and Lowndes County.
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