CLAY COUNTY, Fla. -- Clay County detectives got a break in an investigation into a series of pharmacy burglaries when they unearthed more than $100,000 worth of powerful painkillers allegedly buried after the burglaries.

Investigators said that thanks to a tip they were able to dig up pounds of painkillers from a remote area in Keystone Heights.

The man suspected of stealing the drugs, 21-year-old Christopher Fore, wouldn't tell police where he hid his stash, but someone else did.

Deputies said they already had Fore in their custody and even had a confession from the man. However, the stolen drugs were not recovered until they did a little digging.

Deputies said Fore was linked to burglaries at the North Florida Pharmacy in Keystone Heights and at the Madison Street Pharmacy in Starke thanks to surveillance video from both sites.

After spending time with investigators, police said Fore also admitted to stealing hydrocodone from the pharmacy at the Family Medical Center.

Police said they had their suspect, but the $100,000 of pills Fore was accused of stealing were still missing.

"It was important to get the pills because then they are not on the street. If we know where they're at, they're not a danger to anybody," said Detective Adam Graff.

Graff said when Fore was arrested officers found evidence that the suspect had been in the pharmacies but that they found no drugs.

The more than 10,000 pills were recently recovered after an acquaintance of Fore's came forward, according to authorities.

"There was a concerned individual out there that had gotten some information about them and didn’t want them floating around in the streets. He and his brother came forward and said, 'Hey, you know, here's where these pills are.' And they turned them over to us," Graff said.

Dozens of bottles of hydrocodone and oxycontin were recovered thanks to the concerned informants.

"They had actually tried to bury the pills out in the woods in a remote area of Keystone Heights," Graff said.

With the evidence uncovered, collected and out of harm's way, the sheriff's office said it could rest easy knowing the harmful drugs would not fall into the wrong hands.