LEWISTON – A Lewiston couple has been charged with robbing a pharmacy of $600 worth of narcotics similar to OxyContin.

Police charged Ernest Watson, 25, and Jamie Watson, 22, with robbing a Rite-Aid Tuesday afternoon. Police said the couple entered the store at about 4:15 p.m., told employees they had a gun and demanded narcotics.

The Watsons were arrested after police surrounded a nearby apartment house where they live.

Police said the stolen drugs were similar to OxyContin, a slow-release narcotic that is prescribed for victims of chronic pain. Those who abuse it usually crush it and then snort or inject it to obtain a heroin-like high.

There has been a rash of drugstore robberies in Maine this year where suspects demand OxyContin or other drugs.