District Man Sentenced to 104 Months on Federal Firearm and Narcotics Charges

            WASHINGTON – Darrin Chase, Jr., 22, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced to 104 months in prison on federal firearm and narcotics charges tied to the robbery of a pharmacy in which he stole Oxycodone, OxyContin, and other controlled substance medications while armed with afirearm. 

           The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu and Peter Newsham, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

           The charges against Chase followed a law enforcement investigation that showed that he robbed a pharmacy of Oxycodone, OxyContin, and other controlled substance medications while armed with a firearm. On October 8, 2019, the Honorable John D. Bates of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia sentenced Chase to 84 months in prison on the firearms charge to be followed by 20 months in prison on the narcotics charge. Chase, Jr. pled guilty to using and brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence and unlawful possession with intent to distribute OxyCodone on June 5, 2019.

           According to the government’s evidence, on the evening of December 4, 2018, at approximately 10:30 a.m., Chase, Jr. entered a pharmacy located in 5100 block of MacArthur Boulevard, N.W, Washington, D.C. Chase, Jr. pulled a firearm from a duffel bag that he had been carrying.  He pointed the weapon at three pharmacy employees and demanded, “OxyContin! SubOxone!  Oxycodone!”  He walked behind the counter and continued to point the weapon at pharmacy employees while demanding the medications. The employees complied with Chase’s demands and gave him fourteen bottles of controlled substance medication. 

           Chase, Jr. left the pharmacy on foot. A pharmacy employee followed the defendant from a safe distance and saw the defendant get into the rear of a SUV. The employee called 911 and relayed this information to law enforcement. MPD officers with the Second District quickly located the SUV and learned that it was an Uber vehicle. The officers were then able to identify Chase as a suspect by speaking with the Uber account holder. Officers located Chase three days later in Washington, D.C. Within a few feet of where he was found, officers found pproximately $1, 160 in cash and five bottles of Oxycodone and OxyContin. FBI agents later determined that these bottles came from the pharmacy on MacArthur Blvd. 

           In announcing the verdict, U.S. Attorney Liu and Chief Newsham commended the work of the MPD officers and FBI agents from the Washington Field Office involved in the arrest and prosecution of Chase. They also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, including Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sara Vanore and Nihar Mohanty of the Violent Crime and Narcotics Trafficking Section, and Paralegal Specialist Candace Battle.