Moore County law enforcement agencies collected almost 190,000 prescription pills and over-the-counter medicines during the recent Operation Medicine Drop.

“This was a very successful event because it helped increase the awareness of the need to properly dispose of unwanted pills,” said Capt. Jerrell Seawell, of the Moore County Sheriff’s Office.

The event was conducted March 18-24 at locations in Aberdeen, Seven Lakes, Carthage, Taylortown/Pinehurst, Southern Pines and Whispering Pines. Pills were also collected at three permanent boxes in Carthage, Aberdeen and Pinehurst.

This year’s collection of 189,448 pills eclipsed last year’s by nearly 84,000 pills.

The Moore County Sheriff’s Office partnered with other local police agencies, in conjunction with Drug Free Moore County and the Moore Drug Prevention Task Force, to host drop-off locations.

Operation Medicine Drop is a program aimed at providing a safe and secure method of disposing of prescription and over-the-counter medications that are expired or unused.

In addition to prescription medicines, drop-off sites also received other items like sticks of deodorants, cold sore medications, mouthwashes, diet pills and vitamins and nutritional supplements.

Operation Medicine Drop was conducted throughout the state in association with Safe Kids of North Carolina, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation.

The collected pills were turned over to the State Bureau of Investigation for destruction.

Law enforcement agencies participating included Aberdeen, Southern Pines, Pinehurst, Robbins, Vass, Whispering Pines, Carthage and Taylortown police departments. Community volunteers aided officers at each location.

Another pill drop-off event is scheduled for October in Moore County, Seawell said. Also, if residents want to dispose of unwanted medications in the meantime, they can take them to the permanent drop boxes at the Moore County Sheriff’s Office in Carthage. Pills can also be dropped during regular business hours at collection boxes at the Pinehurst and Aberdeen police departments.

Law enforcement agencies have conducted five medicine drops since 2010 and collected more than 623,000 pills.

“These are events we like to do and will continue to do,” Seawell said. “They are a way for law enforcement to work with the community to fight prescription pill abuse and unintentional poisonings.”

Contact Tom Embrey at tembrey@thepilot.com.