Miami woman attempts to steal prescription drugs in North Naples

Pharmacy fraud was recently blocked in Collier County after a woman was accused of trying to steal dangerous prescription drugs. She didn’t expect people in the industry to catch that kind of crime.

On Wednesday, Collier County Sheriff’s Office arrested Eileen Andino, 31, from Miami after the sheriff’s office was tipped she made a fraudulent telephone order to fill a prescription for a combination of promethazine and codeine syrup.

Andino attempted to fill the prescription at a Publix Pharmacy in North Naples where she was arrested.

A Pharmacist told us people are traveling across the state to get drugs and make a quick buck on them.

“We’ve seen people coming over from East Coast, organized crimes, gangs that are doing this, targeting every type of pharmacy,” said Dr. Michael Aquino with Naples Pharmacy.

Including his own workplace, Aquino said these types of instances are not uncommon in the pharmacy business.

“It’s something that’s a concern,” Aquino said. “We have to watch out for this every day.”

According to the arrest report, the order was made by a doctor, who told detectives he never filled that order and never gave consent.

Pharmacists are trained to spot situations like this.

“We go through a checklist of red flags,” Aquino said. “Is it a local doctor, they have insurance, cash paying, excess of quantity?”

Leidy Torres said people accused of these types of crimes make it harder for her son to get what he needs.

“It’s making it hard for them to get prescription medication filled because there’s so much that alert on this, which I agree with,” Torres said. “We have to be careful.”

Investigators said Andino tried to fill a prescription at a CVS but was denied.

“As a pharmacist, we’re kind of the last line of defense,” Aquino said. “We have the doctors with the nurse practitioners, and they do a great job. And we’re the last line before things get out of to the street.”

Codeine is an opiate listed as a Schedule II drug substance in Florida. And promethazine is a non-controlled drug, which is an antihistamine and sedative commonly mixed in codeine syrup sold at pharmacies.

When Andino went to the pharmacy to buy the prescription, she was quickly pulled over and arrested. She faces charges for Drug Trafficking Illegal Drugs of 30 Kilograms or More, Fraud Conceal Info to Obtain Prescription and Fraud Impersonation Posses or Use ID of Another.

Andino is in Collier County jail without bond set currently.

Writer: Jack Lowenstein

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