NJ Pharmacy-Burglary Ring Extended To Madison Store: Feds

MADISON, NJ — Two people face federal charges after burglarizing a Madison pharmacy in November, authorities announced this week. The pair were among 10 Jersey City charged for their roles in a conspiracy that victimized at least 40 North Jersey pharmacies, according to Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig.

Mohummad Simmons, Rico Phang and two unidentified tried to force entry into a pharmacy in Madison at around 2:30 a.m. Nov. 11, according to the complaint. They burglarized a pharmacy in Basking Ridge and one in Short Hills that same morning, authorities said.

The complaint does not identify the pharmacies.

The burglaries occurred from Oct. 11 through Dec. 22, according to court filings. The conspiracy affected pharmacies in Basking Ridge, Secaucus, North Bergen, Linden, Guttenberg, Kenilworth, Madison, Short Hills, Iselin, Jersey City, West New York, North Arlington and Lyndhurst, authorities said.

"The success of this investigation was the result of teamwork, the sharing of information between law enforcement agencies, and good, old-fashioned police work," said Special Agent Susan A. Gibson.

Madison police contributed to the investigation.

Thanks for reading. Learn more about posting announcements or events to your local Patch site. Have a news tip you'd like to share? Or maybe you have a press release you would like to submit or a correction you'd like to request? Send an email to josh.bakan@patch.com.

Subscribe to your local Patch newsletter. You can also have them delivered to your phone screen by downloading, or by visiting the Google Play store. You can also follow the Madison Patch Facebook page.