Source: United States Department of Justice News
Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Stephanie A. Gallagher sentenced Eric Wilson, age 51, of Owings Mills, Maryland, yesterday to six years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, on drug conspiracy and distribution charges related to his supplying cocaine, crack cocaine and fentanyl to drug traffickers operating in West and Northwest Baltimore.
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 – Washington Field Division; and Commissioner Michael Harrison of the Baltimore Police Department.
According to his guilty plea, in April 2020, law enforcement began an investigation into drug trafficking in West and Northwest Baltimore. During the investigation, Wilson was identified as a source of supply for co-conspirators involved in the drug trafficking organization (“DTO”). Law enforcement intercepted calls between Wilson and his co-conspirators discussing the distribution of cocaine, crack cocaine and fentanyl, as well as other controlled substances.
Wilson admitted that he maintained two stash locations to store, cut and package drugs with other members of the conspiracy—his residence in Owings Mills, Maryland and a home in the 3200 block of Presstman Street in Baltimore. On April 29, 2021, investigators executed search warrants at both locations. From the Owings Mills residence law enforcement recovered: approximately 158 grams of a cocaine and fentanyl mixture; drug paraphernalia; one .40 caliber round of ammunition; $23,126 in cash, believed to be drug proceeds; and nine phones. From the Presstman Street residence law enforcement recovered: a mixture containing approximately 1,541 grams of cocaine; 717.72 grams of crack cocaine; 10.999 grams of fentanyl pills; and kilo wrappers and drug paraphernalia.
Throughout the course of his involvement in the conspiracy, it was reasonably foreseeable to Wilson that he or other members of the conspiracy would distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine, as well as quantities of crack cocaine, fentanyl and heroin, in furtherance of the conspiracy.
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-psnexile and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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