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December 13, 2010

Thieves commandeer pharmaceutical delivery truck, abduct driver

[This is a breaking news update. The original post is after the jump]

A pharmaceutical delivery driver was abducted while making his rounds in West Baltimore on Monday morning by thieves who made off with a truckload of drug products, police said.

Police called the morning heist “incredibly thought-out,” and were looking for three suspects. The robbery occurred at about 9 a.m. in the 2000 block of W. Pratt St., outside the tiny Westside Pharmacy and Wellness Center.

The 55-year-old driver was forced at gunpoint into the back of his delivery truck and transported to an unknown location where the suspects unloaded about 80 crates of drug products. He called police from the 2000 block of Annapolis Rd. in Westport at about 10:10 a.m.

“The value of the drugs is significant,” said police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi, who said he could not place a dollar figure. “We believe the individuals responsible might have had knowledge about where and when the truck was going to be.”

Guglielmi said police were in contact with the local FBI and DEA.

At the pharmacy, located along a struggling commercial corridor in West Baltimore, a handwritten, neon yellow sign tells customers when the store will be closed, and a flier for a lost dog is in the door. The inside resembles a hardware store, and the service counter is located in the back.

A manager who declined to give his name said he didn’t know what had happened until detectives visited the store later in the day. He said the driver drops off supplies every weekday morning but that he did not know his name.

“This is the first time we’ve had something like this happen in eight years,” he said. “We’re just happy he was not harmed.”

Police did not give out a description of the suspects.

----

City police are investigating the abduction and robbery of a pharmaceutical delivery driver this morning in West Baltimore.

Police say the man was put in the back of his delivery truck and transported to a “secondary location” as 80 crates of narcotics were loaded into another vehicle. City police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi called the robbery “incredibly thought out.”

Guglielmi said the pharmacy was located in the 2000 block of W. Pratt Street and said it happened at about 9 a.m. The crime was reported to police at 10:10 a.m. by the driver, who located unharmed in South Baltimore at Patapsco Street and East Fort Avenue.

Guglielmi said the investigation was continuing and additional details were not available.

Posted by Justin Fenton at 1:15 PM | | Comments (4)
Categories: Breaking news, South Baltimore, West Baltimore
        

Comments

Welcome to Baltimore.. HON.. Crime is down! I hope the Mayor tells the delivery driver's family that when they find him dead or floating in the bay. Prayers go out for his safe return!

Uh, Phillip, did you read the story? The next to the last paragraph said the was "located unharmed," so I think his safe return is assured.

This was so slickly done that I wonder if it was an inside job. I am sure the cops will be pursuing that angle.

You need to work on your reading comprehension dude - the story clearly states the driver was located unharmed and reported the robbery.

BaltoSteve, I think the story was updated after that first blog comment. I didn't denote the new info because it was sprinkled throughout. -JF

Inside job? Driver abducted at gunpoint, but let go unharmed. Knowledge of delivery route and content of truck.

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About Peter Hermann
Peter Hermann started covering news for The Baltimore Sun in 1990, first in Anne Arundel County and, starting in 1994, reporting on the Baltimore Police Department. In 2001, he was assigned to Jerusalem as the Baltimore Sun's Middle East correspondent. He returned in 2005 as an assistant city editor overseeing crime coverage. In 2008, Peter returned to the beat as a daily reporter and blogger. A recent BBC report featured him in a segment on the harsh realities of covering crime in Baltimore.

Coverage will focus on crime trends, problems in neighborhoods in the city and elsewhere, profiles of victims and police officers and try to offer readers a fresh perspective on one of the most vexing issues facing Baltimore and its future.



Contributing to this blog is Justin Fenton, who joined The Sun in 2005 and has covered the Baltimore City Police Department and the criminal justice system since 2008. His work includes an investigation into Cal Ripken Jr.’s minor league baseball stadium deal with his hometown of Aberdeen, a three-part series chronicling a ruthless con woman, coverage of the killing of five Amish children at a schoolhouse in Nickel Mines, Pa., and a job swap with a British crime reporter to explore differences in crime-fighting. A special report looking into how city police handle rape cases led to sweeping reforms that changed the way sexual assaults are investigated in Baltimore. He was recognized as the best reporter in Baltimore by the City Paper in 2010 and by Baltimore Magazine in 2011.
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