Thieves Pull Off $75 Million Drug Heist

It's a scene out of "Mission: Impossible." The Wall Street Journal reports that thieves cut a hole in the roof of an Eli Lilly warehouse in Connecticut, disabled the alarm, climbed down ropes, and stole $75 million in antidepressants and antipsychotics. Police say the wooden crates full of prescription pills were loaded onto a tractor-trailer and driven away. The thieves didn't take any controlled substances like painkillers and narcotics, the company says. In the past, such stolen drugs have ended up on the black market or in Latin America or Asia. Even legitimate U.S. pharmacies sometimes buy them, the WSJ reports. Industry experts say theft of pharmaceuticals is on the rise, and there have been 10 pharma thefts valued at a total of $110 million this year alone. In 2009, there were 46 thefts, valued at a total of $184 million. In the meantime, Lilly says its pharmaceutical distribution on the east coast won't be disrupted, and the company is negotiating with its insurance company to cover the loss.