As the use and abuse of prescription medications increases in Kent and throughout Washington and the country, local law enforcement officials say that armed pharmacy robberies are also on the rise. According to the United States Drug Enforcement Administration, there was an 81 percent increase in armed robbery at U.S. pharmacies between 2006 and 2010. In Washington state, one out of every six pharmacies was robbed between 2008 and 2011.

For the most part, the DEA says, prescription drugs such as Vicodin and OxyContin, not money, are the target of pharmacy robberies. After obtaining the medications, drug dealers can sell them at an extremely inflated rate, making them a profitable target of a robbery.

If caught and convicted, a defendant accused of robbing a pharmacy could face severe penalties. In Washington, a robber who uses force or the threat of force to commit the robbery will likely be charged with second-degree robbery, a crime that carries a jail sentence of three to nine months. However, first-time offenders rarely serve the full three-month sentence.

However, when a defendant is accused of committing the crime with a deadly weapon, or when he or she injures someone during the course of the crime, the charge may increase to first-degree robbery. The sentence for this offense ranges from 31 to 41 months for first-time offenders.

Recently, members of the Washington State Pharmacy Association have lobbied the state legislature to increase the penalties for pharmacy robberies. However, the organization has had little success: a bill which would have required a minimum first-degree robbery sentence on all pharmacy robberies, regardless of the circumstances, died on the Senate floor without being passed or even seriously considered.

Source: The Seattle Times, "Rise of pharmacy robberies require stiffer penalties," Don Downing and Jeff Rochon," 20 July 2011