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A local pharmacist who has lost his licence in the past for stealing drugs from his workplace has been arrested and charged with drug trafficking.
Russell Foster, 74, of Lakeshore was arrested Saturday on Talbot Street East in Leamington. OPP say he was arrested along with a 48-year-old Leamington man.
The OPP has not released the name of the man arrested along with Foster or detailed what charges the 48-year-old man faces.
Foster, who the OPP identified, is charged with two counts of drug trafficking and is to appear in court next month.
According to the Ontario College of Pharmacists, Foster works at four pharmacies in Windsor and Essex County. One is Leamington Wellness Pharmacy located on Talbot Street East. OPP spokesman Jim Root would not say Tuesday if the pharmacy is the Talbot Street East location where Foster was arrested.
The Star attempted to contact the pharmacy manager Tuesday. A message left with another employee went unanswered.
The Ontario College of Pharmacists lists three other pharmacies where Foster works – Jackson Park Pharmacy on Dougall Avenue in Windsor, Royal Oasis Pharmacy in Tecumseh where he is listed as the “designated manager” and Essex Pharma Care in Essex.
He is listed as “authorized to sign for narcotic deliveries” at the Leamington Wellness Pharmacy and at Royal Oasis.
Foster lost his licence for two months in 2011 after he pleaded guilty to repeatedly stealing drugs and merchandise from the Shoppers Drug Mart in LaSalle where he worked part time. He also would resell drugs that had been prescribed to himself and his wife.
The incidents occurred in 2008 and 2009, according to a synopsis of the case included in the disciplinary panel’s decision.
The drug store never pressed criminal charges against Foster, but had him banned from Shoppers pharmacies.
A college disciplinary panel found Foster guilty of professional misconduct and ordered him to take an ethics course.
Foster has been a pharmacist licenced in Ontario since 1968.
The OPP would not say if there had been an ongoing investigation into Foster or what relationship he had to the 48-year-old man arrested along with him.
Detachment commander Glen Miller, in a news release about Foster’s arrest, said illegal drugs are prevalent in Essex County.
“This recent arrest further underscores the gravity of the situation and the challenges we face in keeping our communities safe,” Miller said. “We will hold those accountable who continue to supply those elements of society with illicit drugs and equally, those users who feed their addictions through criminal acts.”