Baltimore Man Federally Charged for Possessing Medication Stolen During Riots: U.S. Attorney

A Baltimore man has been charged in connection with possessing prescription drugs stolen from the Pennsylvania Avenue CVS during the April riots, federal authorities reported Wednesday.

Rashad Robertson, 25, of the 2400 block of Francis Street, said he obtained the medications during the ”purge a while back,” referring to the riots, when an investigator asked where he got them, according to an affidavit recently released by the Drug Enforcement Administration.

Baltimore Police ended up at Robertson’s residence on June 17 while pursuing an individual—not Robertson—suspected of having a handgun, the affidavit said.

When a BB gun replica was found in the yard on Francis Street, one of the residents consented to a search of the home, the affidavit said.

A variety of vials with “CVS Pharmacy” labels that had “XXXX” in place of names was visible on the dresser in a rear bedroom where Robertson had been staying, according to the DEA.

In all, there were 11 prescription pill bottles and creams bearing stickers that correlated to the pharmacy in the 2500 block of Pennsylvania Avenue, the DEA reported.

One sealed bottle contained 60 pills of Alprazolam in 2 mg doses, according to the report. Alprazolam is also known as Xanax and is considered a controlled substance.

Robertson told investigators that someone named “Earl” had brought the medications over after the riots and put them on his dresser, where he had not touched them since, the report said. He did not answer additional questions about the alleged associate and said of the medications: “I didn’t sell any of them,” according to the report.

Footage from the pharmacy on April 27 showed an individual authorities said was Robertson going through the pharmacy’s narcotics section and taking pill bottles, according to the report.

See Also: Man Charged in CVS Arson from Baltimore Riots

Robertson had an initial appearance in court Wednesday and remained in custody pending a detention hearing scheduled for Friday, Sept. 11, according to the U.S. Attorney.

If convicted, he faces up to one year in prison and a fine of up to $1,000, authorities reported.

According to the DEA’s affidavit, there were 32 pharmacies hit by looters and vandals during the riots from April 25 to 27 in Baltimore; as a result, there were 317,000 doses of controlled substances stolen, the DEA reported.

Screenshot of CVS on Pennsylvania Avenue on April 27 from YouTube video by WBAL.