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Veteran: Post office not stopping theft of medication Hundreds of bottles of narcotics have been stolen from patients across Northern California, but not because of a break-in at a home or at a pharmacy. Share Shares Copy Link Copy

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WEBVTT RAN WERE DISAPPEARING SO FREQUENTLY HE CONTACTED US. THE PILLS HE NEEDED NEVER MADE IT TO HIS MAILBOX AND HE'S NOT ALONE. EVERY DAY, BRUCE LOWERY MAKES THE TRIP FROM HIS HOME OVER THIS OLD BRIDGE DOWN TO THE TINY POST OFFICE IN THE TOWN OF BROOKS JUST GETTING THE MAIL IS A MAJOR TASK FOR HIM. >> I HAVE WHAT DO YOU CALL THAT ALL MY JOINTS, ARTHRITI LOWERY IS DISABLED. IN CHRONIC ACCIDENTS. >> BROKE MY COLLAR BONE, BROKE 4 RIBS, A PUNCTURED LUNG, SHATTERED MY HIP, DEGLOVED MY HAND. >> HIS PAIN MEDICATION GETS HIM THROUGH THE DAY. >> SO THAT I CAN WALK. SO THAT I HAVE SOME QUALITY OF LIFE. >> PRESCRIBED THROUGH THE VETERANS ADMINISTRATION, THE MEDICATION IS SENT THROUGH THE MAIL WITH THE VA CLOSELY MONITORING HOW MUCH LOWERY TAKES >> THEY KEEP TRACK OF THE AMOUNT OF MORPHINE IN MY BLOOD BY DOING BLOOD TESTS AND URINE SAMPLES. >> EVERY 28 DAYS, HE IS SUPPOSED TO GET A REFILL MAILED FROM THE VA PHARMACY. BUT IN THE LAST SIX MONTHS, THREE SHIPMENTS OF PILLS NEVER ARRIVED. >> I GET ALL MY OTHER MEDICATIONS, NO PROBLEM. BECAUSE I TAKE OTHER MEDICATIONS BESIDES THE NARCOTICS. >> YOU KNOW I TAKE DRUGS FOR MY STOMACH, JUST YOU KNOW, OTHER DRUGS AND I GET THEM NO PROBLEM >> OFTEN, NON-NARCOTIC MAIL-ORDER PILLS WILL BE SHIPPED IN A WHITE BAG LIKE THIS ONE, BUT NOT LOWRY'S PAIN PILLS. >> YES, THIS IS A TYPICAL BOX. >> THEY COME IN A BOX LIKE THIS. >> EVERYBODY GETS IT IN THE BOX WITH THE GREEN TAG. THAT'S JUST HOW IT IS. IT'S CERTIFIED MAIL. THAT WAY, YOU MAKE SURE YOU SIGN FOR IT. AND ONLY THE PAIN PILLS REQUIRE A SIGNATURE. SO APPARENTLY, THESE PEOPLE KNOW THAT THOSE ARE THE BOXES THAT THEY WANT TO GRAB. LOWERY REPORTED THE THEFTS TO HIS POST OFFICE, WHO FILED THIS REPORT, TRACKING THE PACKAGES. THE PACKAGES LEAVE THE VA PHARMACY AND ARRIVE HERE AT THE WEST SACRAMENTO POSTAL SORTING FACILITY. BUT THE POSTAL SERVICE'S TRACKING SHOWS THE PACKAGES NEVER LEAVE HERE. >> EVERY TIME THEY CHECK ON IT, IT'S IN WEST SACRAMENTO, LOST. WHAT DO YOU MEAN LOST? IT'S BEEN STOLEN. AND YOU PEOPLE ARE DOING NOTHING TO STOP THIS. >> THE RESPONSE HE GOT FROM THE POSTAL INSPECTOR GENERAL'S OFFICE WAS THIS LETTER SAYING THEY COULD NOT FIND HIS PACKAGE IN THE DEAD LETTER OFFICE. >> IF SOMEONE STOLE IT, NO, THEY ARE NOT GOING TO FIND IT. >> WHEN LOWERY'S MEDICATIONS DON'T SHOW UP, HE HAS TO DRIVE NEARLY AN HOUR TO THE VA HOSPITAL, FILE A POLICE REPORT, THEN TAKE THE REPORT TO HIS DOCTOR AND WAIT TO GET CLEARANCE FOR ANOTHER PRESCRIPTION. >> LOST OR STOLEN MEDICATION NEEDS TO BE RECORDED AND TRACKED. THAT'S A FEDERAL MANDATE. >> SERGEANT NEIL WILKENDORF IS A DETECTIVE WITH THE VA POLICE. HE SAYS NORMALLY, PEOPLE WITH STOLEN DRUGS HAVE TO DRIVE TO THE POLICE TO FILE A REPORT. BUT HAVING POLICE HERE AT THE VA HOSPIT)jQM%]!█ VETS HAVE A PRESCRIPTION STOLEN. AS IT TURNS OUT, LOWERY ISN'T THE ONLY ONE WITH THIS PROBLEM. >> FOR 2015, WE HAD 162 THEFTS LOST OR STOLEN REPORTS FROM THE MAIL. > WILKENDORF SAYS THOSE COMPLAINTS HAVE LED TO FIVE CONVICTIONS OF POSTAL WORKERS INVOLVED IN MAIL THEFT. THAT'S JUST INVOLVING PRESCRIPTIONS THAT ORIGINATED FROM NORTHERN CALIFORNIA VA FACILITIES, INCLUDING MATHER, MARTINEZ, AND TRAVIS THE VA POLICE SAY WHEN INVESTIGATIONS POINT TO POSTAL WORKERS, IT GETS COMPLICATED. >> IN THE EVENT THAT IT'S A POSTAL WORKER, 90% OF THAT INVESTIGATIVE WORK IS DONE BY THE POST OFFICE THE OIG AGENT SPECIFICALLY AND THAT HAS TO DO WITH JURISDICTIONAL BOUNDARIES AND WE DON'T WANT TO STEP ON THEIR TOES. WE HAVE THE ABILITY TO DO QUITE A BIT OF INVESTIGATION OUR OWN, BUT WHAT WE TEND TO DO IN HOUSE IS TRACK. >> THE INSPECTOR GENERAL'S OFFICE FOR THE POSTAL SERVICE WOULDN'T GO ON-CAMERA, BUT DID SAY THAT AFTER KCRA3 INVESTIGATES CALLED THEM. THEY STARTED AN INQUIRY AT THE SORTING FACILITY, WHICH SPARKED INCREASED SECURITY AND OVERSIGHT. POLICE AT THE VETERANS ADMINISTRATION SAY THE PROBLEM COULD BE BIGGER BECAUSE DRUGS COMING FROM OTHER MAIL ORDER PHARMACIES COULD BE STOLEN AS WELL BECAUSE LIKE THE VA PRESCRIPTIONS, THEY REQUIRE SIGNATURES FOR NARCOTICS. >> THAT'S A SAFE ASSUMPTION ALTHOUGH I'M NOT FAMILIAR ME WITH HOW MANY OTHER MEDICAL SYSTEMS MAIL OUT THEIR NARCOTICS AND I ASSUME THAT'S PROBABLY PRETTY COMMON FOR THE SAME REASONS WE DO IT, BUT THE REALITY IS IF IT'S SIGNATURE REQUIRED AND IT'S IN A POST OFFICE BAG OR THEY'RE SHIPPED IN, IT'S NOT HARD TO DETERMINE THAT IT'S A MOST LIKELY A NARCOTIC. >> AS FOR LOWERY, HE NOW TRAVELS THE HOUR FROM BROOKS TO TRAVIS EVERY MONTH JUST TO GET HIS REFILLS. BUT THAT'S NOT WHAT BOTHERS HIM. >> IT'S NOT JUST ME, THERE'S LOTS OF VETERANS OUT THERE THAT DON'T GET THEIR MEDICATIONS BECAUSE OF WHOEVER IS STEALING THEM AND IT'S RIDICULOUS. >> EVEN WITH THE INCREASED OVERSIGHT AT THE WEST SACRAMENTO FACILITY, LOWERY SAYS HIS PHARMACY AT TRAVIS AIR FORCE