One of the biggest stories during the recent Baltimore riots was the looting of a CVS pharmacy, which included the theft of prescription drugs. Now, the man responsible for looting the prescription drug supply of that CVS store is facing the consequences of his actions.
According to reports from CBS Baltimore and WBAL TV 11, 25-year-old Rashad Robertson has been charged with possession of the prescription drug Alprazolam, which was stolen during the rioting and looting on April 27. The CVS pharmacy was located at 2509 Pennsylvania Avenue in the city of Baltimore.
On June 17, local police were following a different individual whom they suspected was in possession of handgun, and this individual led them to the home of Robertson. Upon entering the home, authorities reportedly found various prescription medications in bottles that had no prescribed recipient on the labels.
These bottles were in plain view, according to the police reports, and were located on a dresser in an upstairs bedroom. Most of the bottles were labeled “Return to stock vial” and included the logo of CVS. After examining the bottles closely, authorities discovered that one of the bottles had been stolen from the looted CVS pharmacy — just a block away from Robertson’s home.
The police then determined that Robertson was living in the bedroom where the pill bottles were found, and Robertson was subsequently identified as one of the individuals, depicted in security camera footage, who had looted prescription drug bottles from the CVS pharmacy on April 27.
Robertson claimed that the prescription of Alprazolam had been filled at the pharmacy, but has been arrested and charged with possession of stolen narcotics.
Health officials have become increasingly concerned with the amount of prescription drugs stolen from pharmacies across the country, since these drugs are often sold on black markets and actually make up a whopping 10% of all prescription drug sales in the U.S.
For this reason, it comes as no surprise that local authorities and U.S. DEA agents are most likely going to ask that Robertson is given a maximum sentence. This would entail one year in jail and a $1,000 fine.
