Delco Murderer, Drug Dealer Gets Life In Prison: Feds

A Delaware County man convicted of murdering a co-conspirator in a prescription opioid drug ring they were part of was sentenced to life in prison Thursday, according to federal officials.

U.S. Attorney William M. McSwain announced Thursday Michael Vandergrift, 31, of Chester, was sentenced to a life in prison for the murder of Gbolahan Olabode in his Lansdowne home, and an additional 240 months his role in a Delaware County-based prescription opioid ring.

Vandergrift is the latest conspirator involved in the drug ring to be sentenced.

Mitesh Patel, 37, a registered pharmacist was the owner-operator of three pharmacies in the greater Philadelphia area and provided prescription opioids for the ring, was sentenced to 15 years prison recently.

Anthony Vetri, 30, of Essington, was also sentenced to a life sentence for Olabode's murder and drug charges.

Additionally, Michael Mangold and Allen Carter were convicted in connection with the murder, with Mangold getting a 35-year sentence. Carter is awaiting sentencing.

Vandergrift and Vetri were convicted in December 2017 after trial of conspiracy to distribute oxycodone from 2008 until June 4, 2013.

During the conspiracy, Vetri illegally obtained large amounts of oxycodone from Patel.

Vetri supplied Vandergrift with oxycodone, and both distributed the drugs throughout Delaware and Philadelphia counties.

More than 400,000 oxycodone tablets were distributed by Vetri, Vandergrift, and the other conspirators, earning over a million dollars in drug proceeds, during the conspiracy.

At some point in the conspiracy, Olabode, Patel's business partner, became involved.

Then in 2011, Vandergrift and Vetri began planning to kill Olabode to maximize their profits in the ring.

Mangold and Carter were recruited, and on Jan. 4, 2012, Vandergrift, Mangold, and Carter went to Olabode’s residence in Lansdowne where they waited for him to come home.

When he arrived, 27 shots total were fired between Vandergrift and Mangold, hitting him 13 times in the head and body, killing him.

Vandergrift was also sentenced for his involvement in a separate crime Thursday.

On April 9 this year, Vandergrift pleaded guilty to committing an armed robbery of a suspected drug dealer, "R.D."

Vandergift lured R.D. to a home in Philadelphia with a promise of a lucrative drug transaction.

Once inside the residence, R.D. was struck in the head with a firearm and held at gun point as he was robbed by Vandergrift and others of approximately $20,000.

As R.D. was being led away from the scene of the robbery, he fired a concealed firearm in the direction of his robbers.

No one was struck by R.D.’s shots.

Vandergrift’s robbery conspirators and R.D. were convicted and sentenced in earlier proceedings.

"The defendant is a danger to the community in every sense of the word," McSwain said. "Drug trafficking is dangerous and violent, and there is no doubt that the defendant’s victims continue to struggle with opioid addiction because of his crimes. Not only did Vandergrift flood the streets with illegal drugs, but also he murdered one drug rival in cold blood and held up another in an armed robbery. We are all safer with the defendant spending the rest of his life behind bars."

"Michael Vandergrift and his buddies were prolific pill-pushers, cashing in on our area's opioid crisis," said Michael T. Harpster, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI's Philadelphia Division. "To maximize their profits, they moved to minimize their competition--ambushing and brutally murdering a drug rival. There were 27 shots fired, 13 that hit, and just one motive: sheer greed."

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