Today, two Los Angeles family-owned pharmacies, Miracle Pharmacy and Remedy Drugs, were burglarized in rapid succession by the same group of suspects. These incidents have resulted in the loss of prescription medications and a significant blow to the owners' peace of mind, as reported by FOX LA.
The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) reports that four culprits—one being female—were caught on camera at Miracle Pharmacy. The alleged robbers used a battery-powered saw to break the lock and metal bars and gain entrance to the store. However, they were seemingly startled by an alarm and left the scene with only a carton of Xanax. The owner of Miracle Pharmacy, Vardui Sarafyan, lamented, "We feel like we have no peace, like this is the second time... we're losing it.", according to ABC7.
Remedy Drugs, a similarly family-run establishment located nearby, was also victimized by the spree. There's been an increasing worry over a trend of targeting small businesses, particularly pharmacies, in the San Fernando Valley area. KTLA reports a string of related incidents involving five break-ins within the valley and two other drugstore incidents in Northridge and Pacoima earlier in October.
The LAPD are currently assessing potential ties between these incidents and previous pharmacy robberies. Yet there is still no confirmation of any links between these incidents, as per ABC7. It's known that the suspects used a stolen black Dodge Durango SUV, procured during a recent armed carjacking, as their escape vehicle, according to FOX LA.
A tax services firm was ram-raided just three days before these burglaries to access an adjacent pharmacy, as per KTLA. In addition, a team of eight perpetrators made off with over $5,000 of merchandise from a WSS shoe store in Van Nuys, hours prior to the break-ins.
