Authorities Accuse 5 Members of Burglary Ring in String of Pharmacy Thefts Across Rural Iowa and Nebraska
OMAHA, Nebraska — Five members of an alleged burglary ring are facing federal charges for breaking into rural pharmacies in western Iowa and western Nebraska in 2022 and 2023, authorities said Thursday.
The Drug Enforcement Administration’s Omaha field division alleges that the five are part of a broader conspiracy being pursued by federal officials in Arkansas. According to the government, 42 persons from Houston, Texas, have been charged with breaking into over 200 pharmacies in 31 states and taking an estimated $12 million in controlled narcotics.
The stolen narcotics, which included hydrocodone, oxycodone, morphine, Adderall, and Xanax, were transported to Houston and unlawfully sold, according to the DEA.
“These five individuals mistakenly thought that targeting rural communities would provide an opportunity to commit a crime and fade into the wind unrecognized and unaffected,” stated DEA Omaha Division Special Agent in Charge Steven T. Bell.
According to the DEA, 900 pharmacy burglaries occurred nationwide in 2023, resulting in the loss of an estimated 3.8 million dosages of prohibited drugs. Since 2022, 34 pharmacy break-ins have been reported throughout the agency’s Omaha division, which encompasses Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota. Nebraska had the most (17), while Iowa had 11.