Parolee Who Robbed a Pharmacy at Gunpoint While Wearing a GPS Tether Sent to Prison

DETROIT – A Clinton Township man was sentenced today to 171 months in federal prison based on his conviction for robbing a Hamtramck pharmacy and other related drug offenses, United States Attorney Dawn N. Ison announced today.

Ison was joined in the announcement by James A. Tarasca, Special Agent in Charge of the Detroit Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Chief Ann Moise of the Hamtramck Police Department.

Marcus McBride, Jr., 29, who 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, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Mark A. Goldsmith.

According to court documents, McBride robbed the Hoover Pharmacy, located at 2930 Holbrook Avenue, Hamtramck, Michigan, on June 10, 2020.  After entering the pharmacy, McBride waved a semiautomatic pistol at customers and yelled, “Get down!” He then approached the counter and pointed the firearm at the pharmacist and stated, “Give me 30’s and 40’s!” The pharmacist grabbed a box of medication which contained Oxycodone and Oxymorphone prescriptions and handed it to him. McBride snatched the box and fled the pharmacy.  McBride took approximately 3,937 pills, with a street value of over $100,000. The FBI executed federal search warrants at McBride’s home and another location as part of this investigation and seized a handgun, pills, and over $17,000 in cash.  On the date of the robbery, 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.  McBride was in a vehicle driven by the 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. 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,” U.S. Attorney Ison said.

“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.” 

The investigation of the case was conducted by special agents and task force officers of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, officers with the Hamtramck Police Department, and the Michigan Department of Corrections. Assistant United States Attorneys Andrew Picek and Robert Moran prosecuted this case for the United States