BSO Wants To Shut Down Popular Tamarac Pharmacy

TAMARAC (CBS4) - The Broward Sheriff's Office will ask the Tamarac City Commission to revoke the occupational license of a popular pharmacy.

BSO says Generic Depot 3 poses a threat to public safety and takes up an "inordinate amount of resources."

Hal Goldman, the pharmacist and co-owner of Generic Depot 3, argues he's done nothing wrong and hopes to work out a compromise with BSO.

Broward Sheriff's Office Chief Mark Duguay told reporters Wednesday that over the past year, BSO has been called to the pharmacy 99 times, made 55 arrests, seized two firearms and also seized more than 6,000 pills.

In addition, Duguay argues that the pharmacy is one of the largest purchasers of oxycodone in the area -- ranking 11th in the state.

"He's consistently one of the highest orderers in the nation," Duguay said. "Not in Tamarac, not in the state but in the nation."

BSO also provided photos of lines of people waiting outside the pharmacy. BSO says in the past the pharmacy would service customers from out of state looking for prescription drugs, but now they mainly service people from the South Florida area.

Tamarac City leaders agreed to postpone the hearing on the issue until March 9, at the request of Goldman's attorney.

BSO admits that Goldman is doing nothing illegal and Goldman told reporters he goes above and beyond to screen his customers and even turns in people to authorities who are trying to fill phony prescriptions.

"We've had no incidences that I'm aware of any crimes in our parking lots and surrounding areas that can be directly attributed to people that come to my store," Goldman said.

Goldman said he's filling prescriptions for a legal drug.

"If it's a legitimate medical use there is absolutely no reason for me to not sell it," Goldman said.

One man claimed he's seen cars in the pharmacy parking lot with license plates from states like Kentucky and Tennessee. It's been well documented that people from outside states often travel to Florida in order to doctor shop and get large amounts of prescription drugs due to Florida's lax prescription drug monitoring.

"Just because somebody walks into our store and gets out of a car with a Tennessee plate doesn't mean they're getting a prescription filled in my store," Goldman said.