By Gillian Graham

Staff Writer

When Biddeford police searched the apartment of a suspected drug dealer, they came across an increasingly common scene: legal prescription drugs diverted for illegal use. 

John J. Moschos, 75, was arrested Jan. 7 by Biddeford police after they allegedly found cocaine and prescription painkillers inside a hollowed-out phone book. Police allege he was selling marijuana, cocaine, hydrocodone and Vicodin from his Sullivan Street home. He is scheduled to appear in court Feb. 23.

The arrest, say police, is another example of crimes tied to an increase in illegal use of prescription drugs. 

During the past 13 months, the Biddeford Police Department has grappled with six pharmacy robberies and in the past 18 months has investigated 74 reports of stolen prescription drugs. A new federal report shows Maine leads the nation in the number of residents seeking treatment for addiction to painkillers, a statistic that comes as no surprise to Biddeford Police Chief Roger Beaupre. 

 “OxyContin is the drug of choice they’re looking to get,” Beaupre said. 

In Maine, 386 of every 100,000 residents 12 and older were admitted for treatment of painkiller addiction in 2008, according to a report from the Substance Abuse and Mental Services Administration. The national rate is 45 per 100,000 people. 

Data from the federal Drug Abuse Warning Network shows 4.6 million visits to emergency rooms nationwide in 2009 were drug-related. Nearly a third, or 1.2 million, of all visits were for prescription drug abuse, an increase of 98.4 percent from the 627,291 visits recorded in 2004, according to the report. 

Prescription medication most frequently used illegally   includes opiates such as hydrocone, morphine and oxycodon, the active ingredient in OxyContin. Beaupre said some users crush OxyContin pills to achieve a high similar to heroin. 

Biddeford police are finding new ways to combat the growing problem of legal prescription drugs diverted for illegal use, Beaupre said.  He has addressed the increase in robberies by meeting with representatives from Biddeford pharmacies and encouraging them to adopt a similar policy to Hannaford. Its pharmacies keep a limited amount of drugs such as OxyContin on hand and customers must provide 24 to 48 hours notice to fill those prescriptions, he said. 

 “That seems to be working there,” said Beaupre, who noted all the Biddeford robberies were at CVS and Rite Aid. 

Beaupre said officers also have seen an increase in the number of residents reporting prescription drugs stolen from their homes. It’s impractical to give a polygraph test to each person who reports drugs missing, so Beaupre instead implemented a program to notify doctors when patients report thefts. 

In many cases, it is obvious people are reporting drugs missing after they either took more than prescribed or sold the pills, he said. The drugs often are reported missing within two or three days of when the prescription was filled. One complainant filed four theft reports, probably because the person was dependent on the drugs, he said. 

 “It’s obvious all they want is to replace it with another prescription,” he said. 

The department automatically generates a letter to a doctor for each theft report, which can help medical workers identify when a patient has a problem, Beaupre said. Police also try to identify physicians “who have a tendency to prescribe narcotics more than others,” he said. 

Beaupre said his department has arrested suspects in each of the robberies except the most recent incident Dec. 28 at Rite Aid when an armed man allegedly demanded OxyContin from a pharmacy employee. Beaupre said it was the first pharmacy robbery to involve a gun and he expects to resolve the case soon.

Beaupre said he feels more resources should devoted to dealing with the growing problem. The Biddeford Police Department on Jan. 6 hosted an educational program on illegal trafficking and abuse of prescription medications for 54 law enforcement officials from 14 agencies in York and Cumberland counties. The seminar was provided free of charge by pharmaceutical company Purdue Pharma L.P., manufacturers of OxyContin. 

During all six pharmacy robberies in the past 13 months, robbers demanded OxyContin pills from pharmacy employees, Beaupre said. 

Rick Zenuch of Purdue Pharma said a team of retired law enforcement officers train officers across the country to better understand issues associated with illegal use of legal prescription drugs. Topics covered included the types of medication targeted for theft, illegal sale and abuse; common methods for diverting prescription medication and the difference between lawful and unlawful prescribing by health care professionals. Zenuch said patients often obtain prescription painkillers by “doctor shopping” or seeing multiple doctors.

 Purdue Pharma has been looking to increase training sessions offered to officers in Maine, he said. 

“We have been very concerned about the increase in crimes we’ve seen in this area,” he said. “We hope that by training the law enforcement officers they’re better able to deal with it when they come across it in the streets.” 

Roy McKinney, director of Maine Drug Enforcement Agency, said reducing the supply of illegally used prescription drugs is a top priority for the agency. In 2009, 42 percent of all drug-related arrests in Maine involved controlled prescription drugs.

McKinney said that is a significant increase, considering the rate was in the single digits for the 10 previous years. 

“We’ve seen an explosion in the number of investigations that involve the sale or furnishing of controlled prescription drugs,” he said. 

McKinney said statistics on the number of overdose deaths connected to prescription drugs further illustrates the issue: In 2009 Maine had 179 overdose deaths, 92 percent of which were related to prescription drugs, he said. Two years ago, 300 babies were born affected by drugs.

“It’s staggering to think 300 plus innocent souls came into this world addicted to drugs, most often prescription drugs,” he said. 

York County Sheriff Maurice Ouellette, who sent an officer to the seminar in Biddeford, said it is important for law enforcement to stay on top of changing trends. Like Biddeford police, the sheriff’s office has seen an increase in the number of crimes connected to prescription drug abuse, he said. 

Ouellette said deputies across the county have investigated a growing number of burglaries and thefts. They’re often are linked to people looking for prescription drugs or money to buy pills, he said. The department also investigated two pharmacy robberies in Cornish in the past two years. 

Deputies increasingly finding prescription drugs during routine traffic stops, he said. It can be difficult and time consuming for officers to determine if pills were prescribed to the person and if they are the pills that belong in that prescription bottle, Ouellette added. 

“It’s getting to the point we’re seeing a lot more of that,” Ouellette said. “Unfortunately it’s a newer dynamic. It’s a progression of dependent, mind-altering substances that seem to find their way into everyday life.” 

Saco Deputy Police Chief Jeffrey Holland said his department has investigated two robberies of prescription medication at Rite Aid. In 2010, 113 of 250 city drug cases involved prescription medication. Crimes included theft, illegal possession and operation a vehicle while under the influence of drugs. 

“There are all types of instances where prescription medication is being misused,” Holland said. “It’s a problem. When they’re desperate, people are committing robberies.” 

Kennebunk Detective Dan Jones said officers in his department have heard anecdotally about increases of prescription drug abuse in the area. It is often difficult for officers to find out about illegal use because it takes place behind closed doors with drugs taken from family members, he said. 

Kennebunk police respond to three or four overdoses each year connected to prescription drugs, Jones said. Although the department has not seen widespread theft of prescription drugs, Jones said police suspect about half of those who file reports overuse their medication and are looking for more. 

In those cases, police will notify doctors so they are aware of the issue and can alter treatment or choose to not dispense more medication. 

Jones said a national drug take-back program sponsored by the Drug Enforcement Agency has been helpful because it allows residents to properly dispose of unused prescription drugs and decrease chances the drugs will be used illegal or targeted for theft, he said. The next drug take-back event is scheduled for April 30. 

Both Holland and McKinney said encouraging people to get treatment for addiction goes a long way toward addressing the illegal use of prescription painkillers. Holland said Saco police will in some cases recommend people receive treatment for underlying medical issues as part of their sentence.

“You don’t want to just throw these people in jail,” he said. “Sometimes it’s best for society for people to get help.”

McKinney said there is an up side to the report released by the Substance Abuse and Mental Services Administration.

“There is a positive side and that is people are seeking treatment for their addictions,” he said. 

Staff Writer Gillian Graham can be reached at 282-4337, ext. 213.