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The arrests coincidentally come on a day when state authorities issued a “Best Practices for Pharmacy Security” list to help prevent drug theft and diversion at retail pharmacies (SEE: NJ issues ‘Best Practices for Pharmacy Security’ that exceed state law) — and less than a week after Wyckoff police collected the most amount of prescription drugs surrendered in Bergen County, with no questions asked, as part of a federal takeback program (SEE: Wyckoff PD collects most prescription drugs in Bergen take back ).
Officers responded to Sicomac Pharmacy on Sicomac Avenue after the pharmacist said someone tried to pass an apparently bogus prescription for 120 30mg Oxycodone pills, Wyckoff Police Chief Benjamin Fox said this afternoon.
“This was considered an excessive number of pills of an extremely powerful pain medication,” the chief said.
Sgt. Robert Mackay and Patrol Officers Michael Demaio, Ryan Tenney and Kevin Pinches grabbed the would-be customer and another man who was waiting for him in a car in the parking lot, Fox said.
After spotting a packet of heroin in the vehicle, they arrested both men: John M. Armstrong, 27, of Bender Place in Cliffside Park and 28-year-old David Abad.
The officers then found that Armstrong “entered the pharmacy with the fraudulent prescription in his name,” Fox said.
Armstrong was released without bail pending a court hearing on charges of having and attempting to pass a fraudulent prescription.
Abad, who also had two warrants for his arrest out of Elmwood Park, was charged with possession of heroin and narcotics paraphernalia. He was being held on $15,000 bail in the Bergen County Jail.
MUGSHOTS: Courtesy WYCKOFF PD
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