Palmer Walgreens a Target for Drug Crime

A New Jersey man is being held on a multitude of drug charges for trying to obtain prescription drugs at the with forged prescriptions.

Jeremy James Porterfield, 25, of Newark was arraigned Tuesday and faces up to 54 years and 60 days in prison and fines up to $581,000 on 14 different drug charges, according to District Justice Judge Jackie Taschner, who arraigned him.

This is the fourth case of prescription forgery at Walgreens this year. In January, police reported from East Stroudsburg tried to get the pain medication Oxycodone. In February, allegedly tried for Ambien, Vicodin and birth control. And just this week, has been charged with trying to get Oxycodone, the antibiotic Amoxicillin and the antihistamine Promethazine.

According to court records:

Porterfield attempted to obtain the prescription drugs with forged signatures from doctors. He sought 90 pills of Oxycodone for a Jason Brown. He also obtained 90 pills of the anti-anxiety drug Alprazolam (better known as Xanax) for a Robert Newson.

Police found 50 pills left when they searched him. And Porterfield also had a bottle of 30 pills of an undisclosed drug for a William Hughes.

Porterfield had several photo IDs in his possession and $900 in cash.

Numerous prescriptions were also found in his vehicle from different doctors written out to Newson, a person named Peace and a Samantha Howard.

Porterfield was brought before Taschner from Essex County Prison in Newark, N.J.

In court, Taschner read the charges: fraud using false prescriptions, conspiracy to acquire and possess the drugs, possessing controlled substances, having under 30 grams of marijuana in his possession, identity theft and conspiracy to commit ID theft, possession with intent to distribute and conspiring with a co-defendant.

"I think you need an attorney for this case," Taschner told the suspect.

The above arrest information was supplied by the office of District Judge Jackie Taschner. It does not indicate a conviction.