Thieves busted after $16K weight-loss drug heist at Bensalem pharmacy
Bensalem, PA — A trio of suspects who allegedly traveled from New York to rob a Pennsylvania pharmacy of high-demand weight-loss drugs were arrested Monday after a bold daylight attack on a delivery driver and a quick police response that stopped their getaway on the same road.
The robbery unfolded outside Smart Choice Pharmacy on Street Road, where police say the suspects ambushed a driver delivering medications. Investigators said the three men used physical force to steal two boxes containing Mounjaro, Ozempic, and Trulicity — injectable medications often used for diabetes and weight loss — valued at around $16,000.
As the suspects fled in a gold-colored Toyota, one of them nearly struck a bystander who was trying to film the incident. Police issued a flash alert for the vehicle and tracked it down less than a mile away on the 3600 block of Street Road.
Inside the car, officers recovered the stolen medications and arrested all three suspects: 41-year-old Joshua Dupree of Tamaqua, PA; 21-year-old Jahnoi Dawkins of Albany, NY; and a 17-year-old boy from New York City. The victim later identified all three.
Pharmacy staff told investigators they had received suspicious emails and phone calls in the days before the robbery asking questions about medication deliveries, leading police to believe the heist was premeditated.
All three suspects were charged with robbery, theft, receiving stolen property, simple assault, and related offenses. Dupree and Dawkins were arraigned and remanded to the Bucks County Correctional Facility with bail set at 10 percent of $150,000 and $250,000, respectively. The juvenile was sent to the Bucks County Youth Detention Center.
Officials credited the fast-acting patrol officers who intercepted the suspects before they could flee or carry out further crimes.
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Key Points
- Three suspects were arrested after a strong-arm robbery outside a Bensalem pharmacy targeting $16,000 worth of medications
- The stolen items included Mounjaro, Ozempic, and Trulicity, which were recovered during a traffic stop minutes after the theft
- Suspects were charged and remanded; investigators say they traveled from New York to carry out the robbery