BAKERSFIELD, Calif.(KBAK/KBFX) — Pharmacy burglaries can leave behind more than broken windows and damaged walls, raising concerns about what thieves may be trying to steal and whether a broader pattern is emerging in Bakersfield.
CREDIT: Inovia Pharmacy, KBAK/KBFX
One local pharmacy manager said his business has been broken into twice and believes there may be a bigger pattern. Burglaries in Bakersfield this week targeted both a dentist’s office and a pharmacy.
“When a pharmacy is burglarized, the biggest concern may not be what’s broken — but what someone is trying to get their hands on,” said Yasser Haykal of Inovia Pharmacy. “They’re usually not looking for money. They’re looking for narcotics, controlled substances.”
According to the Drug Enforcement Agency, in 2023, 289 burglaries involving controlled substances were reported in California. In 2024, there were 225 reports of controlled substance burglaries across the state.
Haykal said independent pharmacies are often targeted. “I wouldn’t say that we are targeted in particular as a Novia Pharmacy, but generally speaking, independent pharmacies, they are a target. It has been happening,” he said.
Haykal said Inovia Pharmacy was hit twice in three weeks. During the second break-in, he said the suspect entered through a neighboring business.
After the break-ins, Haykal said he reached out to other pharmacies, including one in northwest Bakersfield that he said had a similar burglary.
“And interestingly enough, one of them had the very same pattern that we had, breaking through the neighbor’s wall,” Haykal said.
He said the burglary at the other pharmacy happened last year, and he believes video from that incident suggests a possible connection. “So we asked for some footage and, fair enough, it was actually what appears to be the same exact individual with the same outfit, same appearance,” Haykal said.
Bakersfield police were asked about recent commercial and pharmacy burglaries, including whether investigators have identified any patterns. Police could not provide information but said they are willing to speak in the future.
Anyone with information about the Inovia Pharmacy burglary is urged to call the Bakersfield Police Department.