DEARBORN HEIGHTS, Michigan (FOX 2) – Ozempic prompts the local police to be on the lookout as a crew of thieves break into drugstores in pursuit of the weight loss drug, which apparently can lead to a big payday on the black market.

It’s a classic crime situation, a smash and grab at a local drugstore, where usually the hoodlums behind the heist are after painkillers. But the main draw of the night in Dearborn was weight loss drugs like Ozempic.

“This is the first time I’ve seen weight loss targeted for theft,” said Dearborn Police Chief Issa Shain.

Shain said they could be seen loading boxes of stuff into their Dodge Hellcat, stealing $15,000 worth of diet pills from Telegraph Pharmacy.

“Yes, it’s disturbing and I’d like to get them off the streets immediately,” Shain said.

Dearborn police arrested Martize Roberson, who was charged Thursday. Meanwhile, police say it was not difficult to bring him to the crime scene because he was connected for previous crimes.

Can the profit really be that good?

“Maybe asking the guy who needs Ozempic, I think it comes down to a fair economic factor,” said Paul Vanderplow of the Dearborn Heights Police. “Those who need them really need it, and being in short supply creates a black market for it.”

The lack of weight loss drugs, plus the extreme demand, makes the black market a perfect money maker, at the price of real patients.

“Narcotics theft is not just stolen, and on the street, people need these drugs to support their livelihoods and their health,” Vanderplow said.

Thieves were making some big bucks, but a Dearborn Heights pharmacy they tried to hit in November didn’t go as planned. Superior Care Pharmacy with a superior security system stopped them.

“Come here. We’re going to come after you and if we catch you, we’re going to put you in the system. We have no excuse for that,” Vanderplow said.