Chinese Police Nab Safe Crackers Who Stole from Pharmaceutical Company

Chinese police say they have apprehended a gang of safe crackers that is believed to be responsible for a recent theft at a pharmaceutical company.

It is believed that the five suspects were responsible for breaking into a safe at a pharmaceutical enterprise in southern Beijing’s Economic-Technological Development Area (ETDA) on August 5, according to the China Daily. Also taken during the theft were two laptops and some cash.

Police also recovered more than $100,000 of stolen merchandise from the gang, including laptops, digital cameras, watches and gold ornaments, taken during subsequent thefts.

“The offenders took away the 50-kilogram safe in the first case, despite the fact that security guards were on duty on the night of the crime,” Jia Jianwen, vice-director of the Economic-Technological Development Area Branch of Beijing Municipal Bureau of Public Security, told the news source.

Pharmaceutical thefts can be very dangerous as there are no guarantees that the drugs were handled and stored properly in the interim between the theft and their reintroduction to the supply chain.