Philadelphia Police Use GPS Tracker to Catch Pill Robbers
Two men were arrested on Monday night for robbing a local Philadelphia Rite Aid pharmacy store. The two men are suspected in a long string of armed robberies in the Philadelphia area.
According to investigators, a masked gunman walked into the Rite Aid demanding pills from the pharmacy counter. The pharmacist handed over some bottles of pills and the bandit quickly took off, jumping into a getaway car that was waiting outside with the other suspect.
The unsuspecting pill snatchers, however, were unaware that one of the bottles of pills contained a small GPS tracking device, which was embedded by police who had been investigating the string of robberies.
The mini GPS tracker led police to the precise location of suspect’s residence, where they were immediately arrested. In addition to the stolen narcotics, law enforcement officials seized two guns, a mask and the suspected getaway vehicle.
City and federal authorities believe the two men are the ones who pulled off a total of 18 drug store robberies this year. A joint task force had been targeting them for months prior to the arrest. After discovering that the thieves were targeting specific narcotics, they decided to plant the GPS tracking device in one of the bottles of pills.
“We’re hoping to be able to tie some of these others jobs into it. We have a case opened on 17 other drug store type robberies for Hobbs Act violations. We’re certainly working with Philly today and trying to see if these are linked,” ATF Special Agent Donald Robinson said.
The armed robberies have been occurring around Northeast Philadelphia since January, and the thieves have been routinely found taking cash and prescription drugs including OxyContin, Percocet and Xanax.
“Philly police department made the arrest. It was a timely arrest after the robbery. They were able to seize some valuable evidence,” Robinson said.
Police have not released the names of the suspects.
Law enforcement officials across the country have been using GPS tracking devices to catch thieves, arrest drug dealers and monitor violent offenders. This is another case where GPS trackers are being utilized effectively to keep criminals off the streets.