A former Innisfail druggist who allegedly stole thousands of narcotic pills while under the employ of the local Shoppers Drug Mart is expected to finally make a court appearance in Red Deer this week.
However, as of today the RCMP have not publicly released official charges against the accused nor has her identity been released. The 34-year-old woman, a resident of Red Deer, is scheduled to make her first provincial court appearance on April 10.
“We are sending another package to the Crown as they have requested additional information,” said Innisfail RCMP Cpl. Don Morrish. “We received additional information from the complainant so they wanted a full overview of that before the Crown decided on charges.”
Morrish said it's possible official Criminal Code charges won't be laid until court day. “They can wait until the court date and bring in the information on that date before the judge,” he said.
Since the accused's arrest in February, RCMP said charges were being “pursued” for fraud and illegal possession of a narcotic.
The accused was a full-time staff pharmacist at the Innisfail Shoppers Drug Mart. She is also accused of committing the same crimes at a Red Deer outlet where she was a relief employee. Police believe the crimes were committed over an 18-month period.
Innisfail RCMP said at the time of her arrest the investigation began when company officials came to the detachment following an internal security probe.
RCMP said the crimes allegedly involve the theft of a potent narcotic called Dilaudid. Police added the product losses involve an estimated 14,000 Dilaudid pills, which allegedly involved the tampering and partial removal of capsule contents from stock on the shelf of the pharmacy. RCMP believe tampered capsules were emptied of between 20 and 50 per cent of their contents before being reassembled and returned to the shelf.
RCMP said at the time the value of the stolen Dilaudid was not known.
The investigation began following reports from customers that there was noticeable decreased efficiency from their medication, said RCMP.
RCMP said last February the accused was cooperative with police during her arrest and was released on a promise to appear in court.
