Robbers target pharmacy for drugs over weekend

BARSTOW — Armed robbers targeted a drug store in Barstow over the weekend, making off with thousands of dollars worth of pharmaceuticals.

Croal’s Rexall Drugs store manager Arjun Inapakolla said three masked teenagers or young men entered the store on East Williams Street at about 9 a.m. Saturday and demanded drugs at gunpoint. They made off with between $7,000 and $8,000 worth of drugs but did not take any cash. No one was injured in the robbery.

Sgt. Andy Espinoza, Sr., with the Barstow Police Department, said the robbers took OxyContin, a pain medication that is sometimes sold on the black market as a recreational drug. The price of the drug on the street is considerably higher than its over-the-counter price, he said.
Inapakolla said it was the first time the pharmacy had been robbed. In the future, the store will tighten its security, he said.

City spokesman John Rader said that this was the first armed drug store robbery police have seen in Barstow, but the Barstow Police Department has received alerts of similar crimes taking place elsewhere in the San Bernardino Valley.

The police did not have a detailed description of the suspects in the Rexall robbery.

The robbery appeared in the police logs reviewed by the Desert Dispatch on Monday but police could not be reached for more information at that time.

To report information on this or other robberies, call Barstow Police Department at 760-256-2211. To remain anonymous, call WE-TIP at 1-800-78-CRIME or leave information on the WeTip Web site at www.wetip.com.

Contact the writer:
(760) 256-4123 or abby_sewell@link.freedom.com