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Governor’s Office of Crime Prevention, Youth, and Victim Services Announces August Impact for
the Maryland Criminal Intelligence Network
Coalition Partners Stop More Than 30 Connected to Criminal Organizations, Seize Nearly 6,000 Grams of Suspected Narcotics, Cash, and Weapons
ANNAPOLIS, MD – The Governor’s Office of Crime Prevention, Youth, and Victim Services announced today an overview of the most recent successes for the Maryland Criminal Intelligence Network (MCIN). During the month of August, coalition partners in six jurisdictions targeted repeat violent offenders with known gang affiliation, and violent criminal networks trafficking narcotics, weapons, and people for profit.
MCIN, a criminal justice strategy announced by Governor Hogan in 2017 and funded through the Governor’s Office of Crime Prevention, Youth, and Victim Services, encourages local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies to collaborate and share information to target, disrupt, and dismantle gangs, as well as criminal organizations involved in major drug, firearm, and human trafficking operations.
“The investigations launched by our coalition partners and their outcome show what can be accomplished for the people of Maryland through the strategic sharing of information and resources,” said Executive Director Glenn Fueston of the Governor’s Office of Crime Prevention, Youth, and Victim Services. “Their work is not just making arrests and sending people to prison, but also dismantling violent criminal networks that prey on and profit from the vulnerabilities of our friends, neighbors, and children. We are grateful for the work they are doing to make our communities safer.”
Anne Arundel County MCIN
The Anne Arundel County MCIN coalition secured indictments against 15 known gang members in connection with their participation in a gang, drug trafficking, and sex trafficking across three jurisdictions. Police launched “Operation Too Close for Comfort” in 2019, when they learned of an organization running a drug operation out of a local hotel in Brooklyn Park. Investigators say that the leader of this organization used hotel staff and members of the gang to conceal the narcotics operation which included distribution of heroin and/or fentanyl, cocaine, and MDMA.
Anne Arundel County police detectives surveilled the indicted gang members for eight months and found they traveled throughout Maryland to obtain illegal drugs and some members forced women to engage in sex trafficking, while encouraging victims to provide narcotics to people with whom they had sexual encounters.
When police arrested the indicted members of the criminal organization, detectives found and seized:
- 3000 grams of marijuana
- 1,316 grams of methamphetamine
- 502 grams of crack cocaine
- More than 200 grams of heroin/fentanyl
- 119 grams of powder cocaine
- 38 grams of MDMA
- 13 suboxone strips
- 7 handguns
- 2 assault rifles
Allegany County MCIN
On August 26, 2020, while investigating distribution of crack cocaine, members of the Allegany County Narcotics Task Force, Cumberland City Police Department, Allegany County Sheriff’s Office, Maryland State Police Cumberland Barrack, and Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force, worked together to execute a search and seizure warrant on two homes in Cumberland. Two subjects, including a 38-year-old Baltimore man wanted on a fugitive warrant for attempted murder in Baltimore, were found inside one of the homes and taken into custody without incident.
Allegany County Narcotics Task Force investigators located:
- 17 grams of crack cocaine
- Marijuana
- Drug paraphernalia
- $7,300 in cash
- A stolen handgun
The wanted fugitive is being held without bail and charged with several counts of drug possession and possession with intent to distribute, as well as weapons violations. The second suspect was also charged with drug possession and possession with intent to distribute. This case remains under investigation, and more charges are expected.
Carroll County MCIN
A known drug dealer in Carroll County will spend 12 years in prison after pleading guilty to distribution of cocaine. In October 2019, the suspect sold cocaine to an undercover officer in a parking lot in Westminster. A search warrant at his home later resulted in his arrest, as well as seizure of narcotics, including cocaine.
The suspect in this case was sentenced to 20 years in prison, with all but 12 years suspended. According to court records, he was previously convicted of drug and weapons charges. The Case was prosecuted by the MCIN prosecutor for the Carroll County State’s Attorney’s Office.
Dorchester County MCIN
On August 17, the Dorchester County Narcotics Task Force arrested a man and a woman from Cambridge. These arrests were linked to the search of a home in Cambridge in June that led to the seizure of:
- 51 suboxone strips
- 47.3 grams of heroin-fentanyl mix
- 38.6 grams of an unknown substance
- 6 Oxycodone Pills
- .8 grams of cocaine, and
- a loaded 9 mm semi-automatic rifle
The man arrested is prohibited from possessing firearms. Investigators also discovered several items of paraphernalia, along with one set of body armor with trauma plates.
The suspects, at least one of whom has a known gang affiliation, are charged with numerous drug and other charges and are being held without bond. The Task Force was assisted by the Cambridge Police Department, Dorchester County Sheriff’s Office, Maryland State Police Gang Unit, and the Maryland State Police Gun Unit. The Dorchester County Narcotics Task Force is also a federal initiative for the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA).
Frederick County MCIN
A Frederick woman is being held without bail in Frederick County, charged as an accessory after the fact to first-degree-murder.
According to court records, the woman is believed to have helped a suspect destroy evidence in connection with a shooting that killed a man, and injured a woman in June of 2019, in Frederick. Police based this on the location of cell phones, and purchases made at a retail store in Pennsylvania. Both suspects were previously indicted as members of a drug distribution network in September 2019, and are being held on charges connected to that case.
Washington County MCIN
August 20, the Hagerstown Police Department – with the help of the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, Maryland State Police, and FBI – launched a street-level and online investigation into sex trafficking within Washington County. Police arrested twelve people and there are follow-up investigations underway into human trafficking and exploitation.
During the month of August, the Hagerstown Police Department also re-launched its Violent Crimes Task Force initiative focused on combating violent crime and drug trafficking in Washington County. The task force’s operations resulted in:
- 33 arrests
- 17 search and seizure warrants executed
- 18 arrest warrants served
- 8 illegal firearms seized
The Violent Crimes Task Force confiscated 438 grams of narcotics including:
- Fentanyl
- Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA)
- Heroin
- Cocaine
- Crack cocaine
- Marijuana
The Violent Crimes Task Force also confiscated:
- Prescription medications
- A stolen vehicle
- $38,000 in cash
Several suspects have known gang ties or affiliation.
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