They are rapidly becoming the drugs of choice among illicit drug users. Armed bandits are making huge profits trying to meet demand among those who can't get prescriptions
Pharmacies all over the country have become prime targets for armed bandits. The latest target for some may seem the most unlikely. Mel's Marple Pharmacy, a tiny little Mom and Pop style business in the 2500 Block of West Chester Pike in Broomall.
Pharmacist Joe Verguldi was on the phone when the two bandits wearing masks came in making it clear they meant business.
"He said, 'You! Get off the phone' and he actually hung the phone up for me, cause I was panicked and then he pushed the phone, shut it off and said, 'Give me your OxyContin,'" Verguldi said.
Verguldi thought the thieves would then make a run for it after they cleaned him out of Oxycontin, but that was not to be.
"And then he said, 'Now where's the Percocet?' I tried to give him one bottle, I handed him one bottle and he said, 'Oh no, all of them, all of them,'" Verguldi said.
Authorities believe they are the same men who robbed the Katz Pharmacy on Eagle Road in Haverford back on June 19. One of them was captured on surveillance video. They are also believed to be the culprits who hit Howard's Pharmacy in Lower Merion on June 5.
In all three cases, they were seen fleeing in a 2007 dark colored Pontiac G6 with tinted windows and metal alloy wheels. The vehicle has a missing passenger side mirror.
"There was a third guy who was driving the car; he was lighter skin and he looks like he was kind of bald," pharmacy clerk Justin Coale said.
They are but the latest in an increasing number of armed robberies at pharmacies across the Delaware Valley. Authorities say OxyContin has become so popular among illicit drug users, it can fetch anywhere between $25 and $50 per pill on the black market. Experts say it's become popular among illicit drug users because of its euphoric, heroin-like rush.
"OxyContin somehow replaced heroin or those who cannot afford heroin or it's not available, OxyContin is a good substitute," Dr. Iradj Maany, medical director of Internek Behavioral Care, said.
The FBI is involved in the investigations.
Experts believe the problem is only going to get worse.
Meanwhile, authorities worry that the rash of armed robberies mostly in Mom and Pop style pharmacies could turn deadly.
