Wasilla pharmacy robbed for drugs

WASILLA — A pharmacist was closing up shop for the night Monday when an armed man forced open the back door and demanded a tote full of prescription medications.

Alaska State Troopers say the robbery was reported at 7:40 p.m., Feb. 9 at Geneva Woods Pharmacy on Seward Meridian Parkway.

“An unknown male forced entry through the back door of the pharmacy while the lone pharmacist was preparing to close the pharmacy for the evening. The suspect was armed with a firearm and forced the pharmacist to fill up a large tote with all of the controlled prescription medication,” reads a trooper press release.

The pharmacist was not hurt in the incident. Troopers ask anyone who knows something about the robbery to call the Palmer post at 745-2131 or Mat-Su Crime Stoppers at 745-3333. Tipsters can remain anonymous.

Pharmacy robberies are not unheard of in Mat-Su but are relatively rare. Almost always the suspects are after drugs. The Susitna Professional Pharmacy was robbed in 2003 and again in 2006. Geneva Woods was previously robbed in 2010.

Law enforcement made arrests in every single one of those robberies, according to Frontiersman reports from the time. In the case with the Geneva Woods robbery in 2010, the suspect was arrested just hours after the robbery following a car chase that led to a crash.

Some of the past robbers demanded a specific painkiller by name — Oxycontin, one of the most abused prescription medications. In fact, after previous robberies, some pharmacies considered not handling the drug at all.

It’s not clear what the suspect in Monday’s robbery was seeking or what he made off with.

Contact Andrew Wellner at 352-2270 or andrew.wellner@frontiersman.com.