Feds in Fla. charge 11 in major pharma theft ring

MIAMI – Federal prosecutors say 11 people are charged in Florida with running a major pharmaceutical theft ring that targeted warehouses and tractor-trailers around the country.

The Miami U.S. attorney's office says one theft involved an Eli Lilly warehouse in Connecticut in 2010, considered the largest such heist in the nation. More than $75 million in various medications were stolen in that heist.

The 18-count indictment released Thursday is the culmination of what investigators are calling Operation Southern Hospitality targeting sale and distribution of stolen pharmaceuticals. All 11 of those charged are from South Florida. They are in custody and thousands of boxes of medications were recovered.

Initial court appearances for the suspects were set Thursday and Friday in Fort Lauderdale.