A Publix pharmacy tech admitted stealing 1,000 controlled substance pills, state says
A West Palm Beach pharmacy technician with a history of theft got his license suspended after he admitted stealing 1,015 controlled substance pills from the West Palm Beach Publix at which he worked.
That’s according to Palm Beach County online court records and the emergency suspension order (ESO) that came down on the license of Alexander Vazquez Honeycutt, 24.
Vazquez Honeycutt admitted stealing 250 tablets of muscle relaxer carisoprodol (brand name: Soma); 250 tablets of seizure medicine gabapentin (brandname Gralise or Neurontin); 200 tablets of pain medication tramadol (brand name: Ultram or ConZip); 200 tablets of Tylenol No. 3 with codeine; 100 tablets of zolpidem (brand name: Ambien, Edluar, Zolpimist) and 15 tablets of alprazolam (brand name: Xanax).
The ESO says a West Palm Beach Publix’s pharmacy inventory in July turned up 1,170 missing tramadol, Tylenol with codeine, zolpidem, carisoprodol and alprazolam. That was enough for the pharmacy supervisor to start counting the controlled substance pills daily.
When four zolpidem tablets went missing on Aug. 5, Publix went to the digital tape.
“(Vazquez Honeycutt) was observed on camera removing tablets of zolpidem form the pharmacy’s inventory, placing them into an empty bottle and then walking into the back of the pharmacy where he was not visible on camera,” the ESO said. “There were no outstanding prescriptions for zolpidem at the time and (Vazquez Honeycutt) had no legitimate reason to be handling this drug.”
The next day, staff showed Vazquez Honeycutt the video. The ESO said he admitted stealing the tablets detailed above.
Publix fired him, but didn’t file charges, just as they didn’t with similar cases in 2019.
Winn-Dixie, on the other hand, had Vazquez Honeycutt arrested in October 2014 after he swiped Krave 300 electronic cigarettes on three occasions. Vazquez Honeycutt completed a pre-trial diversion program in 2015.
He got his registered pharmacy technician license in December 2015.
This story was originally published January 5, 2020 at 2:04 PM.
