Unified Drug Enforcement Strike Team agents have arrested a man who tried to obtain Promethazine/codeine from four Ocala pharmacies using a stolen prescription pad.
According to release from the team, Wesley Harper, 32, of Tampa, attempted to have false prescriptions filled at two Walgreens pharmacies (4747 SW College Road and 6015 SW State Road 200) and two Publix stores (5400 SW College Road and 8075 SW State Road 200).
Pharmacists at the SW College Road Walgreens and the 5400 SW College Road Publix each notified law enforcement and fellow pharmacists at other locations.
While UDEST agents were at the SW College Road Walgreens, Harper approached the pharmacy staff and confirmed he was the suspect. He was taken into custody and found to be in possession of a fraudulent driver’s license.
Harper gave officers permission to search his vehicle, which revealed a prescription in the trunk matching the one provided by the pharmacy. It was not in Harper’s name.
The prescriptions were from the Florida Hospital emergency room in Lake Mary. Hospital officials confirmed that an ER physician’s prescription pad had been stolen and indicated there had been multiple reports of prescription use from the pad.
Harper was transported to the Marion County Jail on May 23 and charged with two counts of attempting to obtain a prescription by fraud, two counts of prescription fraud, possession of a fraudulent prescription and possession of a fictitious license. He also was charged with two counts of acquiring or obtaining a controlled substance by misrepresentation, fraud, forgery, deception or subterfuge. Both of those charges stemmed from outstanding Hernando County warrants.
Harper was released from jail May 24 on $16,000 bond.
UDEST is an initiative of the North Florida High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area. It is comprised of local, state and federal law enforcement from the Ocala Police Department, the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Drug Enforcement Administration and Department of Homeland Security.