COLUMBUS, Ohio — A former Columbus man was sentenced Wednesday to 17 and a half years in prison for a series of armed pharmacy robberies throughout Pennsylvania.
Following a four-day trial in March, Abdulrahman Abdelaziz Jamea, 26, was found guilty of seven crimes, including conspiracy to commit armed pharmacy robbery, conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute controlled substances, armed pharmacy robbery and pharmacy robbery.
He is currently serving a prison sentence of more than 40 years following his earlier conviction in Ohio for multiple counts of felonious assault with a firearm.
Jamea was believed to have participated in a conspiracy to rob pharmacies of Schedule II controlled substances between September 2018 and July 2019, according to U.S. Attorney Eric Olshan’s office.
The conspiracy included the robberies of pharmacies in Beaver, Bridgeville, Edinboro, Erie and the Oakland area of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
According to a release, Jamea and other co-conspirators pulled out a gun to threaten the lives of pharmacists and pharmacy technicians and to intimidate them into opening the locked sages where the controlled substances were kept.
The release also says that evidence was established that Jamea went on to distribute those narcotics in the Columbus area.
“Jamea’s armed robbery spree across western Pennsylvania risked the lives of pharmacy employees and ordinary civilians who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time—all so he and his co-conspirators could steal dangerous drugs and later sell them on the street,” said Olshan. “This sentencing reflects both the serious and violent nature of these robberies, which have no place in this district or anywhere. Our office is grateful as always for the exceptional work of our law enforcement partners and for the resolve of the victims during the course of this important prosecution.”
