Three people, including two former pharmacy workers, have been sentenced over offences linked to the theft and supply of prescription-only medicines (POMs) in Somerset.
Avon and Somerset Police announced yesterday that Alistair Caines, 41, of Yeovil, and Stuart Eales, 55, and Louise Larby, 42, formerly of Yeovil, were all sentenced at Taunton Crown Court on September 14.
It said all three had previously admitted conspiring to sell or supply Oramorph without a prescription, supply class B controlled drug dihydrocodeine and supply class C controlled drugs zopiclone, diazepam and pregabalin.
Read more: Pharmacy technician removed after smuggling drugs into prison
Eales and Larby both also previously admitted to stealing the controlled drugs between May 2022 and March 2024, while working for a pharmacy.
Police said the prosecution followed a two-year investigation which began when the pharmacy contacted them after noticing discrepancies in its stock.
Caines was sentenced to 20 months in prison, suspended for two years, a three-month home detention curfew and a 30-day rehabilitation requirement.
Read more: Over 90% of pharmacies say police response to crime is ‘insufficient’
Eales was handed a six-month jail term, suspended for a year, and must also carry out 150 hours of unpaid work.
Larby was sentenced to an 18-month community order, a 20-day rehabilitation requirement and a nine-month mental health treatment requirement.
All three denied a further charge of conspiring to supply class C controlled drug tramadol.
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Police added that another woman, previously arrested in connection with the investigation, was released without any charge.
It comes after a former pharmacy technician at HMP Bristol was removed from the register last month for using a prescription bag and a bra to smuggle SIM cards and drugs into the prison.
And it follows 93% of pharmacies saying the police response to criminal incidents in the last year has been “insufficient”, according to a National Pharmacy Association survey published earlier this month.
