OxyContin targeted in two recent incidents

PORTLAND – Two robbery incidents in Cumberland County involving OxyContin illustrate the risks that people are taking to obtain the highly addictive painkiller, police say.

“It’s going to get worse before it gets better,” said Scott Pelletier, a detective sergeant with the Portland Police Department and assistant to the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency of Cumberland County.

A man and woman wearing hooded sweat shirts walked into the Community Pharmacy on Route 302 in Raymond on Wednesday night and demanded OxyContin.

The pharmacist refused and the pair left. Police are still searching for them.

Thursday morning, a man walked into a Yarmouth Shop ‘n Save and robbed the pharmacy of several tablets of OxyContin and another painkiller called Dilaudid.

Shop ‘n Save spokeswoman Caren Epstein did not recall any other robbery attempts at Shop ‘n Save supermarket pharmacies, but noted a rash of forged doctor signatures for OxyContin prescriptions several months ago.

“We are doing a lot more checking back with doctors especially if it’s not someone who is a regular customer,” Epstein said. “You know who your regular customers are and what types of conditions they have.”