Gunman robs Wasilla pharmacy

WASILLA -- A lone gunman entered the Susitna Professional Pharmacy and demanded an undisclosed amount of the prescription drug OxyContin Friday morning, then fled without further incident.

The robbery occurred at 10:30 a.m. at the pharmacy in Bogard Professional Plaza. Bill Altland, a relief pharmacist temporarily working at the store, said he complied with the man's request in hopes no employees would be injured.

"He was very nervous and agitated," Altland said. "He seemed to be a pretty motivated individual. I just wanted to get him out of here as quickly as possible."

Oxycontin is a pain management drug. However, it has become so sought-after by illicit drug users that most pharmacies no longer carry it on their shelves, Altland said.

He described the robber as being in his late 20s. He did not have a mask, and wore a dark knit hat, leather jacket and sweat pants.

Altland said the man didn't want money, only OxyContin.

"He just asked for that product and nothing else."

Alaska State Troopers arrived soon afterward, and investigator Leonard Wallner interviewed Altland and two female employees. Meanwhile, Trooper Dave Wilson dusted the front door for fingerprints. Prints from about a dozen people were on the glass, he said.

Customers were served only at the pharmacy's drive-up window for a few hours after the robbery.

Co-owner Mary Mundell was not at the store on Thursday. Altland said he and his wife are both pharmacists, and they frequently take fill-in work at pharmacies across Alaska although they live on Prince of Wales Island.

"It seems to me working around the state that there is a higher incidence of this drug being prescribed in this region than in other areas of Alaska where I've worked."

He said Susitna Professional Pharmacy's staff keeps OxyContin under lock when the store is closed.

Whatever the source, Altland said, it was apparent that the robber was well-acquainted with OxyContin.

"This guy has evidently had access to it, and this is a prescription medicine," Altland said. "This is a public health problem."