United States Drug Enforcement Administration

EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. – Four individuals from California are facing charges in a multi-defendant conspiracy accused of burglarizing pharmacies and distributing multiple controlled substances throughout southern Illinois and across the country. Three of the four Defendants are in custody. 

A federal grand jury returned an indictment charging the following individuals with one count of conspiracy to commit burglary involving controlled substances and one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance: hydrocodone, methadone, morphine, and oxycodone: 

• Anthony Ellison, 25, of Morneo Valley, California, 
• Tyrus Crew, Jr., 35, of Eastvale, California,
• James Robinson, 36, of Chino, California, and 
• Idani Johnson, 34, of Compton, California.

Ellison, Crew, and Robinson are in custody.  In February 2026, Ellison and Crew were arrested in Ohio for related burglary charges.  Robinson is in state custody in Ohio for conduct unrelated to this prosecution.  An arrest warrant has been issued for Johnson.  

“Pharmacies across the nation, from rural communities to metropolitan cities, are registered with the Drug Enforcement Administration,” DEA St. Louis Field Division Special Agent in Charge Michael Davis said. “This is done to protect our communities and ensure that pharmaceuticals are safely and accurately accounted for. The DEA will aggressively pursue any individual who has the audacity to steal controlled substance medications from a DEA Registered facility.  The theft of controlled substances is a felony under federal law and will not be tolerated.”

“The Department of Justice is committed to dismantling criminal organizations, especially those which target our local businesses and distribute stolen drugs in our communities,” said U.S. Attorney Steven D. Weinhoeft. “We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to ensure dangerous criminal organizations are held accountable.”  

According to the indictment, from April 2024 until February 2026, the four are accused of traveling from California to Ohio where they then targeted pharmacies across the United States, including pharmacies located in Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, and Idaho with the intent to steal any material or compound containing any quantity of controlled substance.  The conspiracy is accused of committing a series of burglaries in the Southern District of Illinois from July 16-17, 2024.  These burglaries occurred at pharmacies in Bethalto, Maryville, Lebanon, Breese, and Neoga.  

An indictment is merely a formal charge against a defendant. Under the law, a defendant is presumed to be innocent of a charge until proved guilty beyond a reasonable doubt to the satisfaction of a jury.

Agents with DEA, Ada County Sheriff’s Office (Idaho), and West Chester Township Police Department (Ohio) contributed to the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Hudson is prosecuting the case.

This prosecution is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF Chicago comprises agents and officers from DEA, HSI, FBI, ATF, USMS, USPIS, IRS-CI, HIDTA, and DSS with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Illinois.