Cops are searching for three men who have allegedly repeatedly robbed a Bushwick pharmacy, stealing thousands of dollars worth of products.
On Sept. 18, a single thief entered the Walgreens Pharmacy at 355 Knickerbocker Ave. at 3 p.m. and nabbed as many as 40 boxes and bottles of off-the-shelf medications, worth about $1,569, then fled the scene.
Just a few days later, on Sept. 24, the man returned to the same Walgreens, this time with another man, according to police. The pair unlocked the perfume displays with a key and loaded up with assorted bottles of fragrance, worth more than $4,000, and again ran out of the store.
The store remained undisturbed for a few weeks, until Oct. 12, when three alleged thieves returned to the store and returned to the medication aisle, where they nabbed $1,347 worth of off-the-shelf medications.
No one was injured in any of the three incidents, cops said, and they are searching for the suspects. The first suspect was last scene wearing a blue and yellow hooded sweatshirt, dark jeans, black sneakers, and a black hat, and was carrying a multi-colored bag.
The second perpetrator was last seen in a dark hoodie, dark blue jeans, black sneakers, and a black hat, while the third and final thief was wearing a white long sleeved shirt with black stripes, red pants, and black and white sneakers. Cops described all three as being 25 to 40 years old.
The NYPD asked any person with information about the thefts or the suspects to confidentially contact Crime Stoppers by calling 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782), or by visiting the Crime Stoppers website or contacting the department on X, the social media formerly known as Twitter, at @NYPDTips.
In the 83rd Precinct, which includes Bushwick, grand larceny is up roughly 3% when compared to the same time last year, according to NYPD data. As of Oct. 22, 583 incidents of grand larceny had been reported in the precinct, compared to 561 last year. Robbery is also up in the precinct, and overall crime has risen roughly 3%.
Walgreens has closed hundreds of stores around the country over the last few years, and has pointed to a sharp increase in shoplifting as a driving factor — though earlier this year, Walgreens finance chief John Kehoe said reports of how much money had been lost to shoplifters had been exaggerated, according to CNN.
Last month, Walgreens announced it would be closing 150 stores and reducing hours at more than 1,000 locations. The news came as competitor RiteAid filed for bankruptcy, while CVS Pharmacy is reportedly planning to close up to 900 stores by 2024.
