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www.oakvillebeaver.com The Oakville Beaver, Friday October 19, 2007 - 3 Crime Prevention Starts in the Neighbourhood www.oakvilleneighbourhoodwatch.ca Defining moments in life... DEREK WOOLLAM / OAKVILLE BEAVER SEIZED DRUGS: Halton Regional Police display a few of the pharmaceutical drugs recovered following the arrest of two men in connection with 23 pharmacy robberies over the past five years. Two men accused of robbing 23 pharmacies By David Lea OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF Two Oakville men are facing numerous charges in connection with pharmacy robberies that, police say, have been taking place over the last five years. Before a small press conference in the Oakville Police Station, police displayed dozens of pill bottles, which were seized during early morning raids at a residence on Wyandotte Drive and the Country Inn by Carlton, located at 2930 South Sheridan Way. "This morning, Halton and Peel police officers, working together as part of a joint force investigation, have arrested two men in connection with a string of pharmacy entries," said Sgt. Peter Payne, Halton Police Public Affairs Officer. The robberies -- the Oakville men have been charged in connection with -- occurred in Halton, Peel, Barrie, Toronto, Hamilton, Waterloo and Guelph. In almost every case, thieves, clad in balaclavas, smashed their way into the pharmacies overnight and stole narcotics. The painkillers, which were seized by police Thursday morning, included oxycodone, morphine, powdered methadone, Demerol, Dexedrine, Tylenol 2, Tylenol 3 and Tylenol 4, and were allegedly stolen only hours earlier from pharmacies in Hamilton and Toronto. "The drugs, which you see here before me, are extremely dangerous and highly addictive narcotics," said Payne. "The estimated street value of the drugs here is in excess of $100,000. The investigation has led us to conclude that in total, so far, the loss of narcotics from all of the pharmacies exceeds half a million dollars." Payne also noted that during the raid on the Country Inn by Carlton, a nine-yearold boy was found sleeping only a short distance away from the narcotics with some of the drugs piled on a nearby toy fire truck. "You have a young child, who might innocently want to play with their toy and that toy could be contaminated with the toxins from these drugs," said Payne. Police removed the boy from the scene. He is now in the care of the Halton Children's Aid Society. David Frampton, 39, and Stephen Bond, 40, have been charged with 23 pharmacy entries as well as 13 counts of wearing a disguise while committing a criminal offence and one count of possession of a stolen car. A woman was also charged with possession of stolen property in relation to the drugs that were found at the Country Inn by Carlton. With the street level price of a single pill oxycodone sitting at around $5-$10, trafficking in pharmacy narcotics can be extremely profitable as police say there is a high demand for them. "It (oxycodone) is extremely popular," said Payne. "Drug addicts have been attracted to this drug for very many years. It is a drug that people who are addicted to heroin or other highly addictive drugs will use as a substitute and some addicts are addicted to that particular drug." WATERLOO OAKVILLE PLACE 905-337-9799 www.raffijewellers.ca FEATURING: CAMBRIDGE Raffi_newsad_4_5X7_8.indd 1 10/18/07 11:2