Cambridge police searching for man who robbed pharmacy

By Sarah N. Mattero, Globe Correspondent

Cambridge police are seeking help to find a man who robbed a pharmacy of at least 3,300 pills and $300 in cash on Friday and who may also be responsible for a similar robbery in April, police said.

Around 6:05 p.m., a masked man wielding a large black revolver entered the Ciampa Apothecary on Cambridge Street and made his way behind the counter where the drugs are stored, police said in a report. The man then instructed one of the pharmacists to lay face down on the floor, and the other to dump the trash out of the bag in a nearby trash can and to fill the bag with narcotics.

The pharmacist obliged, and began filling the bag with OxyContin, until the suspect shouted that he did not want OxyContin, but methadone and Opana pills, police said. The suspect then said he wanted “bars” which is the street name for alprazolam because of their bar-like look, police said, and then told the employee to give him big bills from the register. The man then ordered the pharmacist to the ground and told him not to move until he left, according to police.

According to the police report, the suspect repeatedly stated, “Don’t press any buttons, I have something in my ear, I’ll know,” as well as “I don’t want to hurt you, I just want the drugs.”

When the employees heard the door close, one jumped up and ran outside to see which direction the suspect ran on Cambridge Street, police said.

In total, the robber made off with 2,676 methadone pills, 540 Opana pills, 100 alprazolam pills and about $300 in $20 bills, the report said.

Detectives believe the same man is also responsible for a robbery at the Inman Pharmacy in April. Cambridge police detectives urge anyone with information to call 617-349-3372.