Local Man Sentenced for Robbing Walgreens of Prescription Drugs

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – A 25-year-old Corpus Christi resident has been ordered to federal prison for robbery, announced U.S. Attorney Kenneth Magidson. Mark Anthony Garcia pleaded guilty Nov. 14, 2016, to robbery involving controlled substances.

Today, Senior U.S. District Judge John Rainey ordered Garcia to serve 57 months in federal prison to be followed by three years of supervised release. The court also ordered Garcia to pay $2,994.81 in restitution.

On Sept. 11, 2016, Garcia entered a Walgreens drug store and approached the pharmacy counter. He had what appeared to be a black semi-automatic handgun and demanded all of the Xanax and Codeine. He left with four bottles of Xanax and two bottles of Codeine and was positively identified a short time later via store surveillance cameras.

At the time of his arrest, officers recovered some of the controlled substances and a realistic black BB gun that fit the description of the gun used in the robbery.

Garcia will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be designated in the near future.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Corpus Christi Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lance Watt is prosecuting the case.