Federal officials say Indiana is on track to see a dramatic decrease in the number of pharmacy robberies in 2017.
U.S. Attorney Josh Minkler says there have been just 10 pharmacy robberies in the Hoosier state so far this year.
In 2015 and 2016, Indiana ranked as the state with the highest total pharmacy robberies.
U.S. Attorney Public Affairs Officer Tim Horty attributes the decrease to recent changes in federal prosecution laws.
"Mr. Minkler has chosen a new strategy for trying to reduce these pharmacy robberies by prosecuting most of the individuals federally, even some juveniles that typically had been immune from federal prosecution are now under the scrutiny of the U.S Attorney's Office," Horty says. "The penalties are significantly more strict."
This year, Indiana lawmakers debated a bill that would have increased penalties to certain drug crimes including pharmacy robberies, despite the decreased robbery rates.