Macomb man who robbed a pharmacy gets 28 years
While still wearing tether, he stole thousands of prescription pills
A 29-year-old Macomb County parolee was sentenced Thursday to 28 years in federal prison for robbing a Hamtramck pharmacy and other drug crimes, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Marcus McBride of Clinton Township, who was wearing a court-ordered ankle tether at the time of the heist, took nearly 4,000 oxycodone and oxymorphone prescriptions with a street value of about $100,00, federal officials said.
James Tarasca, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Detroit office, said the impact of McBride’s crime on the community is
“much more consequential” than the narcotics he stole.
“He terrorized customers and employees with a gun, making them feel unsafe in their own neighborhood,” Tarasca said in a statement.
McBride previously pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance, robbery involving a controlled substance, and use of a firearm in relation to a crime of violence. He was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Mark A. Goldsmith. According to court documents, McBride robbed the Hoover Pharmacy on Holbrook Avenue in Hamtramck on June 10, 2020.
After entering the pharmacy, McBride waved a semiautomatic pistol at customers and yelled, “Get down!” He approached the counter and pointed the firearm at a pharmacist and said: “Give me 30’s and 40’s!”
The pharmacist grabbed a box of medication which contained Oxycodone and Oxymorphone prescriptions and handed it to McBride, who snatched the box and fled the store.
FBI agents tracked McBride down and executed search warrants at his home and another location as part of this investigation. Agents seized a handgun, pills, and over $17,000 in cash.
McBride was wearing a Michigan Department of Corrections GPS monitoring device as a condition of his parole for a prior offense. The GPS coordinates confirmed he was at the pharmacy at the approximate time of the robbery.
In addition to the robbery and gun charges, McBride, along with co-defendant Patrick Johnson, pleaded guilty to charges in connection with a previous narcotics trafficking incident that occurred near the Greyhound bus station in Detroit.
Officials say McBride was in a vehicle driven by Johnson and had unsuccessfully attempted to board a bus headed to Alabama with 330 oxycodone pills 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,” U.S. Attorney Dawn Ison said in a statement. “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.”