Concerned about “drug mules” buying meth-making drugs at Walgreens in Brentwood, a resident sent an open letter on Feb. 22 to the Brentwood City administration and board of alderman. 40 South News was copied.
The letter from Mason Burnham, by email, is below, followed by a reply to 40 South News from City Administrator Bola Akande what the city and pharmacy is doing about it.
Last night I had the unfortunate need to pick up a prescription at the Brentwood Walgreens. I say “unfortunate” not because of anything wrong with Walgreens—specifically, but more to the point because most every trip taken there on a weekend night invariably results in an encounter with a drug mule trying to buy Sudafed/Wal-Phed or some other pseudoephedrine-containing medicine.
Like moths around the porch light, hired drug mules (paid ~$20 bucks a trip) drive into our town walk into Walgreens and queue up at the pharmacy window trying to get their score and take it back to one of the many Missouri meth kitchens.
The parade of addicts happens regularly—right here in Brentwood, without fail—right under our noses. Easy to identify, they park in the rec center parking lot, or maybe the bank and walk over to Walgreen’s to make the buy. Why you ask? The perhaps not so secret dirty secret is that the City of Brentwood doesn’t require pseudoephedrine-containing medicines to be sold by prescription only.
While the drugs are held behind the counter, the tantalizing possibility for a mule to make a buy and score some drug money—all while helping to make the highly addictive drug meth, is not enough to stop the traffic and their repeated attempts to exploit the controls.
Multiple fake licenses, fake coughs and colds as well as telephone calls back to the meth lab operator right at the pharmacy window to confirm the purchases—all readily visible/audible to anyone who has the unfortunate need to be in the pharmacy when a buy is trying to be made.
These people are criminals, addicts, drug users who, as a result of Brentwood’s inaction on this front are needlessly being drawn into our town. We can continue to pretend it’s not happening and our little town can’t do anything to help, or we can act….
The simple purpose of this letter is to impel our elected City Council to draft and pass a City Ordinance that permits the sale of pseudoephedrine-containing drugs by prescription only. Brentwood is too nice a community and we are too smart to sit idly by as this illicit and more importantly, illegal behavior happens right under our collective nose.
We need regulation and control of products containing pseudoephedrine. Be bold, be courageous and for the sake of our families, our children and more generally for our town’s sake, act now to make pseudoephedrine a prescription drug.
Sincerely, Mason B, Brentwood, MO
Brentwood City Administrator Bola Akanke told 40 South News, by email, what was done with the letter.
Mason Burnham’s email was shared with the Board of Aldermen.
He was told the City would look into this further.
Since then, Chief Fitzgerald spoke to the pharmacy manager at Walgreens.
He and his staff are trained on how to deal with this situation. Every ID is scanned on every purchase. Expired or altered ID’s are not accepted. The ID’s are entered in a system used by other pharmacies, and tracked by County and State law enforcement to see if someone is floating around making numerous purchases.
The pharmacy manager will remind his staff to call the PD if something looks suspicious.
Bola Akande, City Administrator, City of Brentwood
Isn’t Walgreen’s the biggest drug dealer in the country?
So somebody visiting relatives from our of town couldn’t buy it? How about instead of inconveniencing law abiding citizens and costing them hard earned money, we arrest and fully prosecute the law breakers?
As someone who regularly needs this medication I find it difficult to think it necessary to deal with one more layer of bureaucracy. Any doctor I’ve seen just says take more sudafed and mucinex. They don’t write a Rx for it. I don’t know how they decided to do it, but the Walgreens at Elm & Watson will only sell these products to residents of certain zip codes-at least this was the case when I lived near there. I don’t think Webster told the Wagreens to make that restriction. Maybe this letter should be written to the manager of the Pharmacy at Walgreens instead of wasting public money and time on this issue.
Speaking of which, the 7-11 is a menace, too. I can hardly have the unfortunate need for a Slurpee without being accosted by some youth wanting beer or cigarettes. They are easy to spot. The parade of addicts lasts all night. While the bottles and tobacco products are held behind the counter, it’s too easy for an ethically challenged adult to make a few extra bucks (~$2-5) and buy some off-brand beer or a pack of Winstons for these reckless minors. Why does this happen? We’ve made it too easy for grown adults to purchase things that are legal yet also regulated by the government. These criminals are drawn to our 7-11 because of the lack of a strong police presence. We would all be safer if the government would run the liquor stores and keep track of everyone who comes in. Think of the children, people.
By the way, the correct nomenclature for the ones buying the pseudoephedrine is “straw buyer.” Mules carry drugs (or other illicit merchandise), but that’s it. They are figuratively mules –a beast of burden. Another example of a straw buyer is someone in a state with lax gun laws purchasing a gun and then selling it privately to someone in a state with stricter gun laws, circumventing the background check system.
Legalize pot and meth would be less desirable for a lot of people. That’s how meth got to be so big – it was seen as a pot substitute.
I am adamantly opposed to ONE MORE restriction on my ability to purchase a LEGAL over-the-counter drug. I’m already inconvenienced by the law-mandated shrink-wrapped packaging and the tracking of my LEGAL purchase, all with the intent of INCONVENIENCING those who would do something illegal with this product.
I miss the days when my allergies could be alleviated by popping the bottle open and pouring out the two pills I needed every 4 hours. Now, I wrestle with my blister pack and wonder why my right to legal use of this product is in jeopardy. I do not wish to have to make a doctor’s appt EVERY allergy season, and pay a co-pay to have the doctor prescribe a medicine that I should be able to walk into a pharmacy and purchase.
I’m done with my rant but this hit a sore spot. And yes, it’s all in my head… and my nose… and my ears… and my throat.
Add fluoridation and the city county merger and there’s clearly a pattern here.
I also frequent Brentwood Walgreen’s & have not noticed these “mules”. I think it would be a mistake to make pseudoephedrine drugs available by prescription only. If all I have is a cold or allergies & I know that Sudaphed will do the job, then having to schedule a doctor’s appointment is time consuming & inconvenient. And I know that Walgreen’s is very thorough before handing out these drugs (as I purchased some there once myself).
PS. A mule usually makes a percentage of the take, usually in Meth.
I too, think that Mason may be focusing too much and that it is clouding his thinking. I’ve been going to that Walgreens since it opened, a couple of times every week. I have never been propositioned there. All drug outlets, particularly Walgreens and Walmart, have programs and updates, for their employees, concerning drug an drug user awareness. Missouri and Walgeens have rules and laws concerning Sudafedrine. Brentwood needs no initiate no extra rule or laws in this regard
I have worked in a couple of pharmacies and we are all trained in what procedures to follow to comply with the tracking of purchases for possible meth making. The system can never be perfect, no system ever can. I can assure Mr. Burnham that anyone licensed to work in a pharmacy knows how to comply with state legislation to do what we can to keep these people from purchasing these drugs.
I am in Walgreens about every other day and have never seen anyone that appears to be a “drug mule”. I am wondering as well how this person knows the are drug mules.
I’m Not sure that the city would have that authority. If they do, they shouldn’t.
I would love to know how the original letter writer knows these people are mules. I have rolled in to Walgreens looking pretty scrappy during allergy season to get Sudafed. I am not a drug mule, just someone who is miserable during allergy season.
I have been in this Walgreens as well have seen the same people, mostly on weekend nights. There is a difference between scrappy and wacked out of your head looking like a meth head. If you don’t know what these people look like you can google images and see.
OH great Nancy…please further enlighten us as to what exactly a “wacked out of your head meth head” looks like so we can arrest them on the spot. Perhaps send them somewhere to be water-boarded. .
Mr. Completely,
Just consider this the next time your 8 year old son is standing next to you at a pharmacy and a guy who comes in who cannot speak because he is CLEARLY “on something”, his skin is disintegrating, his eyes are sunken in and his teeth are falling out and he grabs the cart your son is using. At this point proceeds to go to the counter to buy Sudafed. The woman next to me backs away as do other patrons. He pulls out cash and his license (questionable), purchases this and leaves the pharmacy 3 minutes from my house where my 8 year old lives. I would say – yes it would be nice to arrest them and water board them. THAT is not welcome here.
Me. Completely loves to stir the pot. He wants a reaction from anyone. I learned a while ago that the best response to him is no response at all.
Huh, you left that compelling story out of your original post Nancy, imagine that. Heavy drama for sure. Says more about you than me.
And BJ, gonna have to check you on that. Your short lived political career makes you an odd fellow. Leave me and my post’s alone!