Source: United States Department of Justice News
Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Stephanie A. Gallagher today sentenced Thomas Jones, age 53, of Baltimore, Maryland, to 11 years in federal prison, followed by 11 years of supervised release for conspiracy and for possession with intent to distribute five kilograms of more of cocaine.
The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge Jarod Forget of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Washington Field Division; and Commissioner Michael Harrison of the Baltimore Police Department.
According to his guilty plea, in April 2020, DEA investigators with the Baltimore OCDETF Strike Force began an investigation of drug trafficking in West and Northwest Baltimore. During the investigation, Jones was identified as one of the conspirators who agreed to acquire and distribute controlled substances, including cocaine and crack cocaine.
As detailed in his plea agreement, law enforcement overheard calls between Jones and other conspirators discussing the distribution of cocaine and crack cocaine. Jones also met with customers and co-conspirators at his home in the 1600 block of Edmondson Avenue to engage in drug transactions and other drug trafficking activities. On April 29, 2021, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Jones’ home and seized 143 grams of cocaine, 62 grams of crack cocaine, drug packaging material and scales, and $19,965 in cash. Investigators also recovered a .45-caliber pistol, two standard .45-caliber magazines and one extended magazine clip, and 170 rounds of .45-caliber ammunition from Jones’ home. Jones admitted that he planned to distribute the cocaine and that the cash represented proceeds of drug trafficking.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
This prosecution was brought as a part of the Department of Justice’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Co-located Strike Forces Initiative, which provides for the establishment of permanent multi-agency task force teams that work side-by-side in the same location. This co-located model enables agents from different agencies to collaborate on intelligence-driven, multi-jurisdictional operations against priority targets and their affiliate illicit financial networks. These prosecutor-led co-located Strike Forces capitalize on the synergy created through relationships forged by agents, analysts, and prosecutors who remain together over time, and they epitomize the model that has proven most effective in combating organized crime. The specific mission of the Baltimore OCDETF Strike Force is to reduce violent, drug-related, and gang crime in the Baltimore area and surrounding region.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the DEA and the Baltimore Police Department for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys LaRai N. Everett and James T. Wallner, who are prosecuting the case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/project-safe-neighborhoods-psn and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
# # #