Drugmakers like to complain about counterfeit meds and reimportation. But how does some of that product get into consumer hands? Theft. Here’s one example, only it involves vitamins: Thieves made off with a whole trailer load of Centrum vitamins, valued at $500,000, from a Wyeth plant in Virginia, according to the Richmond Times-Dispatch. Local police yesterday said the cache contained 22,848 units of multivitamins and 36,000 bottles of Silver vitamins.

The theft occurred in a parking area at 11 p.m. July 20. The vitamins were awaiting shipment to New Jersey, police said, adding they’re appealing to the public for help because the investigation is running out of energy (of course, they’ve already run out of vitamins). Wendy Kouba, a Wyeth spokeswoman, says the company isn’t aware of any demand for the vitamins beyond their intended use. The vitamins are marketed primarily to middle-aged consumers.

Police said the theft was caught on a surveillance video, and authorities are looking for a white 53-foot trailer, No. 53044, with New Jersey license plates T39G9C. Brennan Services is written on the back in green lettering. The thieves are seen on the video unsuccessfully trying to hotwire the tractor, then unhooking the trailer from the tractor and hooking up their own tractor.

Okay, these were Centrum vitamins, not Wyeth’s Effexor antidepressant. But you get the idea. While we understand no operation is foolproof - banks are still robbed in broad daylight, after all - drugmakers need to be more vigilant. Otherwise, pharma may have a harder time arguing those cheap Internet purchases are nothing but phony goods.