Burglary ring accused of targeting rural pharmacies in Iowa and Nebraska

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Five members of an alleged theft ring face federal charges for burglaries that targeted rural pharmacies in western Iowa and western Nebraska in 2022 and 2023, authorities said Thursday.

The Omaha, Nebraska, field division of the Drug Enforcement Administration claimed the five were part of a larger conspiracy being pursued by federal authorities in Arkansas. The agency said 42 people from Houston, Texas, are accused of breaking into more than 200 pharmacies in 31 states and stealing an estimated $12 million worth of controlled substances.

The stolen drugs — including hydrocodone, oxycodone, morphine, Adderall and Xanax — were taken to Houston and sold illegally, the DEA said.

“These five individuals mistakenly believed that targeting rural communities would provide an opportunity to commit a crime and fade away unrecognized and unharmed,” said Steven T. Bell, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA’s Omaha Division. in a statement.

The DEA statement says 900 pharmacy burglaries were reported nationwide in 2023, with an estimated loss of 3.8 million doses of controlled substances. In the agency’s Omaha division — which includes Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota — 34 pharmacy burglaries were reported as of 2022. Nebraska had the most, with 17, while Iowa had 11.

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