Source: United States Department of Justice News
WASHINGTON – Demarco Boyd, 29, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 97 months in prison for his convictions on drug and gun charges, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Acting Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Boyd pleaded guilty on March 24, 2023, to unlawful possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, and possession of two firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking (one of which was a machinegun). In addition to the prison term, U.S. District Court Judge Royce C. Lamberth ordered 60 months of supervised release.
According to the government’s evidence, in June of 2022, the Metropolitan Police Department (“MPD”) was investigating individuals involved in narcotics distribution around the 3600 block of Hayes Street NE, Washington DC, including hand-to-hand transactions and controlled buys in the area of the 3600 block of Hayes Street NE. After making a controlled purchase of cocaine base from Boyd, on June 16, 2022, officers executed a search warrant at an apartment occupied by Boyd, his pregnant girlfriend, and her young child. Boyd was present at the time and dropped a Glock firearm and a black backpack containing a “Draco” style firearm out of one window of the apartment onto the grass below. The Glock 19 pistol had an illegal “giggle” converter switch, which is designed to enable the firearm to expel more than one round of ammunition with a single pull of the trigger, making the firearm a machinegun. The “Draco” style firearm had a large capacity magazine loaded with 28 rounds.
From the apartment, officers also seized distributable amounts of phencyclidine (PCP), cocaine base, fentanyl, and marijuana, as well as various drug paraphernalia. DEA lab results indicate that law enforcement seized at least 583 grams of marijuana, 110 grams of cocaine base, 40 grams of PCP, and 2.77 grams of fentanyl. MPD also found and seized $5,129 of U.S. currency. The defendant admitted that he possessed the two firearms in furtherance of his drug trafficking activities, and that he knew he was a convicted felon at the time he possessed them.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Graves and Acting Chief Smith commended the work of the detectives and patrol officers of the Metropolitan Police Department. They also expressed appreciation to those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorney David T. Henek and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah J. Rasalam, of the Violence Reduction and Trafficking Offenses Section, who investigated and prosecuted the case.