Fresno Pharmacists say there’s no stopping break-ins

After a high speed chase Wednesday morning police arrested the suspects charged with breaking into a pharmacy near First and Nees in Fresno. Pharmacy owners in town say they’re happy about the arrests, but they don’t believe it will stop the ruthless attacks on their businesses.

Pharmacy store owners in Fresno say there is no stopping the constant break-ins at their stores. Wednesday morning in the span of an hour three pharmacies were broken into.

The break-ins happened at pharmacies on Gettysburg, Nees, and Marks at around four o’clock in the morning.

In Fresno security bars are welded to the front windows of a pharmacy. The steel is designed to provide relief from an onslaught of break-ins, but the thieves are relentless.

"The last two break-ins we had bars up. (and that didn’t stop them?) No. Not at all," said Bob Zingarelli

Medicine Shoppe Pharmacy Owner.

Before the sun came up Wednesday morning three different Fresno pharmacies became targets.

"The police do a great job it’s just endless," said Zingarelli.

Two of the break-ins were caught on surveillance camera. The suspects smashing their way in and moving quickly to empty the shelves of pill bottles and cough syrup.

"I mean it’s probably a $ 20 loss, but it’s just the frustration and the cost to replace the glass and bars and that type of thing," said Zingarelli.

The owner of Ray Fisher Pharmacy on Blackstone says after witnessing 40 years of Fresno pharmacy break-ins, it’s a problem that’s here to stay.

"I mean we do have security systems here, so you might see the hooded guy running through the store, but other than that you really can’t stop them," said Randy Asai owner of Ray Fisher Pharmacy.

The burglaries at some Fresno pharmacies are so frequent, when locks and barred windows prevent them for just a few weeks, it’s encouraging.

"I thought we had it worked out, but they keep out smarting us," said Zingarelli.

Pharmacy owners vow not to give up protecting their livelihood. The bars and glass are restored at the store fronts, at least until the next time.

"It’s just something you have to live with I guess because I mean what more can you do besides what we have done at this point," said Zingarelli.

The pharmacists tell me cough syrup is the number one item stolen from their stores because of its street value and addictions. If you know anything about the break-ins in this story you’re asked to call Crimestoppers, or Fresno Police.