Ohio men plead guilty to string of regional pharmacy robberies in 2018

Two Ohio men pleaded guilty to their part in what law enforcement officials said was a rash of well-orchestrated pharmacy burglaries in 2018.

Mohammed Jibril, 19, of Reynoldsburg, Ohio, and Arthur L. Worthy II, 21, of Columbus, Ohio, each pleaded guilty to three counts of conspiracy to commit armed pharmacy robbery, drug distribution and armed pharmacy robbery on Dec. 23.

The men were allegedly recruited by Abdulrahman Abdelaziz Jamea, according to U.S. Attorney Scott Brady.

According to a Justice Department release, Jamea would stake out a pharmacy, then he or his associates would complete the robberies, which included:

• Rite Aid on Third Street in Beaver on Nov. 17, 2018;

• Rite Aid in Marietta, Ohio, on Dec. 2, 2018;

• CVS in Erie on Dec. 7, 2018.

Jibril and Worthy were in a rental car that was stopped by police about three hours after the Dec. 7, 2018, robbery and were taken into custody. Prosecutors said they were able to tie Jamea to the robberies using cellular data, surveillance and text messages between Jamea and Jibril.

Jibril and Worthy will both be sentenced in April. They face up to 25 years in prison and fines up to $2 million.

Jamea’s trial is pending, Justice Department officials said.

State police along with officials from the Drug Enforcement Administration, Pittsburgh and Bridgeville police and the Ohio Highway Patrol contributed to the investigation.