HARTFORD, Conn. — In a Hollywood-style heist, thieves cut a hole in the roof of a warehouse, rappelled inside and scored one of the biggest hauls of its kind — not diamonds or Old World art but about $75 million in antidepressants and other prescription drugs.
The pills — stolen from pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly & Co. in quantities big enough to fill a tractor-trailer — are believed to be destined for the black market, perhaps overseas.
“This one will enter the folklore,” said Erik Gordon, a University of Michigan business professor who studies the health care industry.
The thieves apparently scaled the brick exterior of the warehouse in an industrial park in Enfield, Mass., during a blustery storm before daybreak Sunday. After lowering themselves to the floor, they disabled the alarms and spent at least an hour loading pallets of drugs into a vehicle, authorities said.
“It appears that there were several individuals involved and that it was a very well planned-out and orchestrated operation,” Enfield Police Chief Carl Sferrazza said.
