A 28-year-old Raytown man will spend more than six years in federal prison after jumping over a pharmacy counter with a gun, demanding painkillers, and fleeing with a stolen tub of drugs containing a tracking device. Ta’Rod Glenel Perkins was sentenced to 74 months in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for robbing a CVS pharmacy in Kansas City at gunpoint on Feb. 13, 2025.
According to KCTV, Perkins entered the pharmacy wearing a mask, black coat, blue jeans and gloves, jumped the counter, and pulled out a handgun as he demanded promethazine and oxycodone. He reportedly told staff, “I don’t want any trouble,” before making off with a red tub containing the substances. KCTV described the robbery outfit as a black coat, mask, jeans and gloves.
How a Tracked Pill Tub Cracked the Case
The break in the case came when CVS employees had placed a tracking device inside the red tub before it was stolen. Per court documents cited by KCTV, the device allowed authorities to follow its signal to a home in Belton, Missouri. The case illustrates how a tracking device inside a stolen tub helped authorities locate a home in Belton.
Once investigators reached the Belton address, a neighbor located the handgun hidden beneath a barbecue grill on the deck, KCTV reported. Perkins was found at the home, KCTV reported. DNA comparative analysis on genetic material swabbed from the gun later matched Perkins, the Department of Justice said in its release announcing the sentence.
A Multi-Agency Manhunt and a Guilty Plea
The investigation connected the dots between the Kansas City CVS and the Belton hideout. Perkins pleaded guilty on Jan. 21, 2026, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Lajuan M. Counts to one count of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, admitting he robbed the CVS pharmacy with a gun.
He was sentenced Thursday by U.S. Chief District Judge Brian C. Wimes to six years and two months in federal prison, along with five years of supervised release. Perkins received a 74-month term for the firearm charge.
The 74-Month Sentence
Perkins’s 74-month term followed his guilty plea to the firearm charge, the Department of Justice noted.
After the 74-month prison term, Perkins will serve five years of supervised release.
Why Robbers Target Pharmacy Opioids
The drugs Perkins demanded were promethazine and oxycodone.
The case report does not provide statewide Missouri drug-overdose statistics for 2024 or attribute such statistics to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Western District of Missouri, Shannon R. Thomas, 29, was sentenced to life in federal prison without parole on 8 Oct 2019 after being found guilty of 10 counts. According to the Drug Enforcement Administration, nearly 900 burglaries involving the theft of controlled substances were reported to DEA in 2023.
Media reports on the case, including coverage by KRMS Radio, have noted that the investigation was part of Operation Take Back America, a federal initiative aimed at combating violent crime and illegal drug distribution. The case stands as a reminder of how far a small piece of hidden tracking hardware can reach — from a pharmacy counter in Kansas City to a backyard grill in Belton.
