Gurnee pharmacist, customers charged in drug sales

A Gurnee pharmacist was ordered held on $10,000 bond Friday after being charged with selling drugs illegally in his place of business.

Lake County Assistant State's Attorney Suzanne Willett said two customers of the RX Tower Pharmacy, 15 Tower Court Road, who bought drugs while undercover agents were in the store Thursday have also been charged in the case.

Willett said agents of the Lake County Metropolitan Enforcement Group have for several months been investigating Jagga Grandhi, 59, of Long Grove, the pharmacist and owner of the business.

An undercover officer was able to buy pills of the painkillers vicodin, morphine and percocet on four occasions between Sept. 11 and Thursday, she said.

Each transaction was completed when the agent entered the store, told Grandhi what he wanted and paid for the pills without presenting a prescription.

As the agent was waiting to make his final purchase in the sting Thursday morning, Steven Moran, 26, of the 200 block of Grand Avenue in Fox Lake, was in line in front of him, Willett said. The agent watched as Moran bought 36 pills of vicodin from Grandhi without presenting a prescription and left the store, she said.

The agent contacted other agents waiting in the parking lot, Willett said, and Moran was arrested as he sat in his car dividing the pills into three small plastic bags.

After the agent purchased 40 vicodin pills, two morphine pills and 20 percocet pills without a prescription and left the store, other undercover officers walked in to arrest Grandhi, Willett said.

But before they could, Lisa Boope, 46, of the 300 block of Forest Glen Drive in Round Lake Park, bought 20 vicodin and two morphine pills from Grandhi, Willett said.

Both Grandhi and Boope were arrested inside the store, Willett said, and all three admitted to police they were aware what they were doing is illegal.

Grandhi then allowed police to search his home in the 8000 block of Orchard Commons, Willett said, and officers found 10,000 vicodin pills and other controlled substances Grandhi is not allowed to posses outside of his business.

All three face up to seven years in prison and appeared Friday before Associate Judge Raymond Collins, who set $10,000 bonds for each.

Boope is scheduled to appear in court Nov. 24, while Grandhi and Moran have Dec. 22 court dates.