A Clinton Township man has been sentenced to 171 months in federal prison for robbing a Hamtramck pharmacy and other related drug offenses.
Marcus McBride, Jr., 29, previously pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance, robbery involving a controlled substance, and the use of a firearm in relation to a crime of violence.
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Officials say the 29-year-old robbed the Hoover Pharmacy at 2930 Holbrook Avenue in Hamtramck on June 10, 2010, while wearing a Michigan Department of Corrections GPS tracking device as a condition of a prior offense which confirmed his coordinates that he indeed was at the pharmacy during the robbery.
He waved a semiautomatic pistol at customers and yelled, “Get down,” before approaching the counter, where he pointed the gun at the pharmacist and told them, “Give me 30s and 40s.”
The pharmacist grabbed a box of medication that contained oxycodone and oxymorphone prescriptions and handed it to McBride Jr, who snatched the box before fleeing the pharmacy.
McBride took approximately 3,937 pills with a street value of over $100,000.
As part of the investigation, the FBI executed federal search warrants at McBride’s home and another location and found a gun, pills, and over $17,000 in cash.
He and his co-defendant Patrick Johnson both plead guilty to charges in connection with a previous narcotics trafficking incident that occurred near the Greyhound bus station in Detroit where McBride was in a vehicle driven by johnson as they unsuccessfully attempted to board a bus that was heading to Alabama with 330 oxycodone pulls and a bag of fentanyl.
“This case illustrates my office’s commitment to partnering with local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies to combat violent crime and drug trafficking,” said United States Attorney Dawn N. Ison. “The cooperation between the Hamtramck Police Department, Michigan Department of Corrections, the FBI, and our office resulted in violent offenders being taken off the streets.”
“The impact of McBride’s crime on the community is much more consequential than the thousands of dollars of narcotics he stole,” said James A. Tarasca, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Detroit Field Office. “He terrorized customers and employees with a gun, making them feel unsafe in their own neighborhood. The FBI is committed to working with our partners from the Hamtramck Police Department to get violent criminals like this defendant off the streets.”
