5 charged in break-in at Troy drug company Sunday

Five men accused of breaking into a Troy pharmaceutical company Sunday to try to steal drugs day have been charged, police said.

Isaiah Duncan, 20, Jaevion Hackett, 20, Shaun Lewis, 24, Ario Stephens, 24, and Alvin Whidby, 42, were arraigned on Tuesday at 52-4 District Court in Troy. All of the men are not Michigan residents.

Each was charged with breaking and entering a building with the intent to commit larceny, a 10-year felony.

A judge ordered Duncan held on a $250,000 bond, $250,000 for Hackett, $50,000 for Lewis, $1 million for Stephens, and $750,000 for Whidby. All of the defendants are scheduled to next appear in court on March 7.

Troy police officials said after another law enforcement agency gave them a tip that a group planned to break into a pharmaceutical company located in the 1200 block of Rankin Street near Rochester and Maple roads in their city, they placed the business located under surveillance last Friday.

After midnight on Sunday, investigators saw two vehicles they believed were suspicious near the company's building.

A short time later, an employee from the company called the police to report two people were seen on security cameras trying to get into a secure area for scheduled drugs.

Police then surrounded the building. They entered the business and found two men inside an office area where it stores controlled substances. Detectives arrested the men without incident and identified them as Duncan and Stephens, they said.

Authorities also learned the two suspects were communicating with three others who were inside the two vehicles they had seen earlier. Police arrested the trio and identified them as Hackett, Lewis, and Whidby.

During their investigation, police determined two of the suspects broke into the building by cutting a hole through an overhead garage door, they said.

cramirez@detroitnews.com

Twitter: @CharlesERamirez