BATON ROUGE — A Baton Rouge pharmacy tech and another person are in jail on several drug charges after a local pharmacy recently reported stolen meds. Markella Wyre, 36, was arrested by EBRSO narcotics agents after allegedly filling prescription meds for non-existent customers and stealing from her employer.
A man staying in Wyre’s home was also arrested after agents attempted to carry out a search for drugs. That man was Reginald Johnson, 25, of Baton Rouge.
Wyre’s employer, Bordelon’s Super-Save Pharmacy on Plank Road, reported a theft earlier this month. After an investigation, EBRSO narcotics agents found multiple instances of Wyre allegedly stealing scheduled narcotics from the pharmacy. They then got a warrant for her arrest.
Agents arrested Wyre after a traffic stop conducted in a parking lot near Old Hammond Highway and Sherwood Forest, according to officials. Wyre’s two young sons were in the vehicle with her at the time.
During their search, agents say they found a 9mm handgun in the glove compartment, a .380 caliber handgun in the console, 44 units of Tramadol in the console, and over $400 in cash in her purse.
According to officials, Wyre admitted to stealing the medicines from the pharmacy and told agents that she also had “about 60 pills” on her bedroom dresser, along with $5,000-6,000 in cash in a safe at her home.
Because of her statement, agents got another search warrant for Wyre’s home, located on Hickory Creek Drive in Baton Rouge. A man and her son lived at the home as well.
When agents arrived at the home, they used Wyre’s phone to call her son and explain the situation. Agents requested that both the son and the man in the home come outside. After the phone call, agents believed that the instructions were understood, however, the man in the home opened the front door, peeked outside and then proceeded to lock the door. Agents attempted to call the son again, but no one came out.
After about five minutes, agents breached the door and found the son and man in the living room. Agents took the man into custody after a struggle, and proceeded to search the home.
The man, identified as Reginald Johnson, was arrested and booked into the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison on the following charges: one count of possession of schedule I, one count of possession of schedule II, and one count of resisting an officer.
During the search, they reportedly found a large variety of prescription meds, empty prescription bottles and fake prescriptions, multiple firearms, and nearly $6,000 in cash in the safe as Wyre had said.
After her arrest, Wyre allegedly admitted to stealing prescription narcotics from the pharmacy and distributing some of the narcotics to the man living with her.
She was booked into East Baton Rouge Parish Prison on the following charges:
- 6 counts of distribution of a Legend drug without a prescription order
- 7 counts of distribution of schedule IV
- 4 counts of distribution of schedule II
- 1 count of distribution of schedule V
- 2 counts of possession of a firearm with CDS (controlled dangerous substance)
- 2 counts of possession of CDS in the presence of a minor
Wyre has a certified pharmacy technician license that expires on June 30, 2025. According to a newsletter from the Louisiana Board of Pharmacy, she was previously disciplined for failing to disclose a previous arrest on her 2019 renewal application and paid a fine.
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One Response
So she rather risk her freedom and have no job to sell the drugs she’s supposed to sell. And she was smart enough to come up with a master plan of fictitious customers. Could have used that brain to get a better paying job.