Fort Smith Man Sentenced To Five Years For Drug Store Burglary
(FORT SMITH, Ark.) - - Drug Enforcement (New Orleans Field Division) Acting Special Agent in Charge Joseph W. Shepherd announced today that Mark Anthony Teas, 34, of Fort Smith, Arkansas, was sentenced to five years in prison for the burglary of the Prince Drug Store in Fort Smith, Arkansas. The sentencing took place before the Honorable P.K. Holmes III in the United States District Court for the Western District of Arkansas in Fort Smith. Judge Holmes imposed an enhanced sentence based on Teas’s extensive criminal history and also ordered Teas to pay $21,915 in restitution, which represents the value of the drugs stolen and the damage to the pharmacy.
During the burglary, which occurred on July 3, 2012, Teas stole a large amount of oxycontin pills from the pharmacy and then traveled to Moundsville, West Virginia, to sell the drugs. After arriving in West Virginia, Teas came under the surveillance by local law-enforcement authorities. Two days after his arrival in West Virginia, officers conducted a traffic stop of a vehicle Teas was traveling in and discovered bottles of oxycontin pills that were then traced back to the Fort Smith drug store. Teas was indicted by a federal grand jury on October 11, 2012. He pleaded guilty on January 16, 2013.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, Fort Smith Police Department, and Moundsville, West Virginia Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Glen Hines prosecuted the case for the United States.
Parents and children are encouraged to educate themselves about the dangers of drugs by visiting DEA’s interactive websites at www.JustThinkTwice.com, www.GetSmartAboutDrugs.com and www.dea.gov.
