PINE BUSH – Last Wednesday, September 16, two men stole all the Prilosec on the shelves at the Rite Aid in Pine Bush.

"I guess it was about 3 p.m.," said Bonnie Tice, supervisor at the Rite Aid. "One of them came in with a bag, while the other stayed in the car outside. I'm pretty sure of the time, because my daughter came in right behind him, and she gets out of school at 2:30."

The obvious first question: did the thief make a mistake and grab the wrong stuff? After all, Prilosec is an antacid, comprised of omeprazole. It works by causing the stomach to stop releasing acid.

"I don't think it was a mistake," said Tice. "They knew what they wanted and they went right to it. In all they took 13 boxes of Prilosec."

Tice heard the alarm and responded quickly. She hurried out the door in pursuit of the thief.

"He was an African American, about six foot and maybe two hundred pounds. I asked him to stop and return to the store with the goods in the bag. He said it was a gift, and he wouldn't stop. He got into the car, and they drove away. I took down the license plate number and called the police."

Omeprazole, under various brand names, is now one of the most often-prescribed drugs in the world. However, it is not known to have any value in the world of recreational drugs.

One possibility is that the thieves were under the mistaken impression that Prilosec contains pseudo-ephedrine, which can be used to manufacture methamphetamine. If that was the case, then there must have been some severe disappointment when they took a look at their haul.

Another possibility is that this was part of an organized criminal retail theft ring. In what has become a national trend, teams of criminals linked by cell phones hit supermarkets and pharmacies and steal products like tooth whitening strips, eye drops, infant formula, pain relievers, and, yes, Prilosec and other brands of omeprazole-based antacids.

These products are then resold on the street, at flea markets, or over the internet, even at auction sites.

A ring working in southern Pennsylvania was broken up earlier this year after a number of thefts involving shelf-clearings at a several pharmacy stores, including a Rite Aid, a Walgreens, and a CVS. The thieves concentrated on tooth whitening strips, pain relievers, antacids, and razors.

Indeed, the Rite Aid in Pine Bush was hit last winter by two thieves who made off with all the high-end shampoo they could carry. That raid ended in a high speed chase down Route 302 and the recovery of most of the goods.

Regarding this most recent raid, Lieutenant Dominick Blasko of the Town of Crawford Police refused to speculate. "The case is still active, and we are following up leads; that's all we can say at this point."