HOUSTON — Dozens of gang members who were part of a Houston-based burglary ring that stole millions of dollars worth of drugs are facing federal charges for break-ins that targeted rural pharmacies in Iowa and Nebraska, the feds announced Thursday.
The Drug Enforcement Administration said 42 people from Houston’s Fifth Ward are charged with breaking into more than 200 pharmacies across 31 states and stealing an estimated $12 million worth of controlled substances.
The stolen drugs — including hydrocodone, oxycodone, morphine, Adderall, and Xanax — were sold illegally on the streets of Houston, the DEA said.
"In the early morning hours, they would shatter glass at pharmacy locations, low crawl on the floor to evade motion detectors and systematically remove dangerous opioid benzodiazepines, promethazine with codeine and other scheduled medication from the pharmacy shelves," U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas Jonathan Ross said on Thursday.
Federal authorities said the suspects targeted independent and non-chain pharmacies in rural areas.
“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,” DEA Omaha Division Special Agent in Charge Steven T. Bell said in a statement.
The DEA statement said 900 pharmacy burglaries were reported nationwide in 2023, with an estimated loss of 3.8 million doses of controlled substances. Across the agency's Omaha division — which includes Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota — 34 pharmacy break-ins have been reported dating back to 2022. Nebraska had the most with 17, while Iowa had 11.
"This is the largest pharmaceutical burglary case in DEA history. This was an investigation that's been spanned nearly three years," Special Agent in Charge Steven L. Hofer said. “This criminal organization prioritized money and greed over the safety and well-being of the American people."
Along with the drugs, investigators seized weapons, cash and custom jewelry worth about half a million dollars.
The Houston Police Department and Harris County Sheriff's Office were among the law enforcement agencies involved with the feds in the takedown.