Police are looking for the person responsible for stealing powerful drugs from a tractor-trailer.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation tells Channel 2 Action News they have recovered 1,800 doses of hydromorphone, a drug six to eight times stronger than morphine.

Investigators told Channel 2's Ryan Young, someone stole the drugs from a tractor-trailer parked along Bouldercrest Road near Interstate 285 in DeKalb County.

"Just when you think you seen it all, you see something else," said truck driver Dave Haggerman.

Haggerman has driven trucks for 24 years and said protecting cargo is something all drivers care about, especially when they make rest stops.

“I have a master lock with me, and usually when you pick anything up, it’s got a seal on it, but you put the lock on there with the seal to make sure it’s secure,” Haggerman said.

But a driver parked at Pilot gas station at I-285 and Bouldercrest Road had 19 boxes containing hydromorphone stolen from his trailer between Sunday and Monday.

Georgia Bureau of Investigation agents from the major theft unit told Young they went right to work trying to find who ever stole the drug.
“The unit felt this was a very serious drug that was out on the street. They felt it was a public safety issue,” John Bankhead of the GBI said.

Agents gave Channel 2 Action News the only look at the recovered drugs, which out of doctor’s hands can be deadly, especially if mixed with alcohol.

Tuesday, agents got a tip and the 1,800 stolen vials were tracked down and now are back in custody.