Raiders strike at Bierley, Bradford pharmacy (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)

Raiders strike at Bierley, Bradford pharmacy

2:45pm Friday 3rd July 2009

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A pharmacist today appealed for the safe return of £20,000 of drugs stolen in a smash and grab raid.

Rajan Gupta says the prescription drugs, some used to treat cancer and Aids patients, could cause serious harm – and, if taken repeatedly over time, could even kill.

The haul was stolen from Bierley Pharmacy in Bierley Lane, Bradford, when raiders used a crowbar to force open metal shutters and smash through an aluminium and glass door.

The shattering of glass activated an alarm and woke people living nearby who saw two people in dark clothing ransacking the store, said Mr Gupta, who also has pharmacies in Tyersal and Oakenshaw.

“I’ve been told there were two of them who did it, they were on a motorbike wearing balaclavas and helmets.

“They opened the fridge and drawers, although they didn’t go into them much and just grabbed what they could from the shelves. I don’t think they were going for anything specific – all the addictive drugs are in the safe. They took the till and some cash.”

He added: “Thousands of tablets would have been taken – just one pot of Diazapam has 1,000 pills in it. Some were sleeping tablets, others anti-anxiety – a whole mix of drugs.

“I would urge anyone who knows what’s happened to these drugs or who has been offered any of them to get in touch with the police straight away.

“If they are taken by the wrong person they could do serious harm. The worst case scenario is that if taken repeatedly over some time, they could kill – it’s difficult to say how dangerous they are because it depends on who is taking them.”

Drugs stolen included Diazepam, Glivec, Zyprexa, Zoton, Enbrel and Clopidogrel.

Mr Gupta was at the pharmacy 15 minutes after the alarm had been triggered.

He said: “I was alerted straight away by the alarm company so I was one of the first there. They would not have had much time to get what they wanted but I think whoever did it had probably been in the pharmacy a few times to get an idea of where things were kept.”

Anyone with information about the raid, which happened at 1am on Monday or who has been offered any prescriptions drugs on the street within the past week should contact PC Steve Scully on (01274) 376777.

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