Thursday, October 1, 2026
Following a four month undercover investigation, Long Beach detectives arrested a Walgreen’s employee after he allegedly stole thousands of dollars worth of prescription pills — including the pain killer Oxycodone — which police officials said that he might have intended to sell.
In a statement, Police Commissioner Thomas Sofield Sr. said that Samuel White, 43, of Rosedale, Queens, was arrested and arraigned at Long Beach City Court on Jan. 20 on larceny charges for stealing the prescription meds.
Police said White was employed as a pharmacy technician at Walgreens Pharmacy, located at 606 Long Beach Boulevard. Police officials said that detectives launched an undercover investigation about four months ago, when they determined that a large quantity of a controlled substance narcotic was being stolen from Walgreens.
“It was determined through a undercover investigation that Mr. White, while employed at Walgreens Pharmacy had stolen more than a thousand prescription pills,” Detective Lt. James Canner said in a statement. “These prescription pills included Hydrocodone and Oxycodone.”
Sgt. Richard DePalma of the Street Crimes Unit said that the street value of the prescription pills totaled approximately $20,000.
“This individual will no longer have the ability to possibly divert these controlled substances, for illicit use, to the Long Beach community,” DePalma said.
