TOPSHAM — A 59-year-old Topsham woman was charged last week by the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency for allegedly stealing drugs from the pharmacy she worked at.

Doris Bourque was issued a summons on March 3 following an investigation by MDEA, Brunswick police and the Sagadahoc County Sheriff’s Office. The investigation centered on the theft of drugs from Medical Center Pharmacy, where Bourque worked as a pharmacy technician.

The pharmacy is located on the Brunswick campus of Mid Coast Hospital but unaffiliated with the hospital, said Jim Pease, a supervisor with the MDEA.

Agents reportedly found that Bourque had stolen more than $140,000 worth of Tussionex in the past four years, and that a bottle of the prescription drug had been missing each week.

Tussionex is a liquid used to treat colds which contains hydrocodone, an opiate-based pain killer, according to Maine Department of Public Safety spokesman Steve McCausland.

Pease said Bourque had worked at Medical Center Pharmacy for about a year before the thefts began, and that she had been fired after being found stealing a bottle of Tussionex. MDEA was informed of the theft and began an investigation.

Bourque has a Cumberland County court date of April 28, and more charges will likely be added, according to McCausland.


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