Criminal Defense Lawyer Blog
A Baltimore area marijuana dealer has been sentenced to over 20 years in prison after the jury found him guilty at trial. Defense lawyers were unable to overcome the strong evidence that federal prosecutors presented during two weeks of testimony in United States district court in Maryland. The convicted Baltimore drug dealer was arrested in 2010 and charged with distribution of marijuana and conspiracy to commit money laundering. Both the internal revenue service and the federal drug enforcement agency participated in the investigation, which ultimately let to a multi count indictment.
The Baltimore man had been charged with selling marijuana over a span of more than 5 years, with the first drug deals allegedly taking place in 2004. Government witnesses testified that the Baltimore dealer was the supervisor of a large scale organization responsible for transporting for sale hundreds of pounds of marijuana from the southwest United States to the east coast and Maryland. Testimony revealed that the Baltimore man had sold nearly 10,000 pounds of marijuana over the course of the drug conspiracy. State witnesses also testified that the drug dealing began with the purchase of about 100 pounds of marijuana from a source in Arizona. These 100 pound purchases grew substantially over time, and by the end of 2005 the Baltimore man was purchasing as much as 900 pounds of marijuana at a time for sale on the east coast.
Federal prosecutors presented evidence that the Baltimore man began working with a co-conspirator and the two arranged to purchase between 250 and 500 pounds of marijuana per month, and conspired to have the drugs transported to the eastern United States for sale and distribution. The convicted dealer hired the services of couriers to drive the marijuana across the country and into Maryland. Federal evidence showed that one of the Baltimore dealer’s couriers was stopped driving through the Midwest, and $160,000 of drugs were seized from the courier’s car. FBI and DEA agents had been on the drug dealer’s tail, and arranged an undercover buy bust operation in San Diego, California. The Baltimore drug dealer allegedly agreed to purchase 150 pounds of marijuana from an undercover federal agent, a deal that ultimately lead to his arrest and prosecution. The arrest took place after federal agents moved in as the Baltimore dealer was giving the undercover feds directions on how to load and transport the drugs.
In addition to drug sale and trafficking charges, the Baltimore man also faced indictments for conspiracy to commit money laundering. The money laundering scheme allegedly involved the sale of an expensive Mercedes. The drug dealer and his girlfriend were given upwards of $80,000 to place a down payment on the car, but instead placed the money in their personal bank accounts. The couple thought they would avoid attention from law enforcement by keeping the deposits under $10,000 a piece, but were mistaken when the money laundering charges appeared in the indictment.
The Herbst Firm is a Baltimore drug possession law firm specializing in trafficking, sale, and possession of drugs such as marijuana and cocaine. The Herbst Firm’s criminal defense lawyers handle criminal cases throughout Maryland, in both state and federal court. If you or someone you know has been arrested or is being investigated for any drug crime contact The Herbst Firm at 410-207-2598 for a free consultation.
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Marijuana Dealer Sentenced to Over 21 Years in Prison on Drug and Money Laundering Charges