WESTLAND — This week, four men pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court on three different charges to an armed robbery that took place at a Westland pharmacy last summer, while two other acquaintances pleaded not guilty on similar charges related to the incident.  Those charges include use of a firearm, interference with commerce by threat of violence, the manufacturing, distribution, or dispensing of controlled substances and conspiracy to commit robbery. 

The four men that pleaded guilty are from the Dearborn-Detroit area;  Ali Ramzi Bazzi, 30;  Hassan I. Faraj, 21; Mike Ali Ibrahim, 22; and Khoder Aoun, 21.  They could face anywhere from 10-30 years in prison, once they are sentenced. The two other men, who pleaded not guilty are Fahed Hammad, 21, and Richard Vega, 31.  They face trial at the U.S. District Court this week. If they are found guilty during trial, they can face a sentence than the four men who pled guilty. 

The six men were allegedly involved in a robbery at the Good Neighbor Family Pharmacy in Westland last July, during business hours. The men used weapons to intimidate and tie up two technicians and the owner of the pharmacy, before stealing over $40,000 worth of prescription drugs, including Vicodin, Xanax and Vallium. It is estimated that the drugs could have been sold for over $250,000 on the street.

In addition, they stole an undisclosed amount of cash from the register during the robbery. A female customer, who happened to be in the store at the time of the robbery, was also a victim. While she was not tied up, the robbers did take cash from her purse before leaving the scene.

The gunmen had worn long sleeve shirts and face masks to conceal their identity. They escaped the scene, but surveillance footage at the pharmacy helped Westland Police eventually track down the suspects. The footage reveals that at least three or four of the men may have entered the store at the same time, while the other two waited in a getaway car in the parking lot.

The police department had already been on the lookout for armed robbers who had robbed a string of local pharmacies in the Westland, Canton and Livonia areas last summer. An extensive investigation led to the arrest of the six men in September 2012. 

While the men are suspected of robbing other pharmacies in the area, no additional charges have been brought forward, due to lack of evidence.