BALTIMORE, MD—U.S. District Judge Deborah K. Chasanow has sentenced Nevone McCrimmon, 48, of Edgewood, to 14 years in federal prison; and sentenced co-defendants William Elijah, 52; and Terrance Mobley, 51, both of Baltimore, each to 10 years in federal prison, all followed by five years of supervised release, for the federal charge of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl.

The sentences were announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Assistant Special Agent in Charge Orville O. Greene of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Baltimore District Office; Commissioner Michael Harrison of the Baltimore Police Department; Baltimore City Sheriff John Anderson; Chief Melissa R. Hyatt of the Baltimore County Police Department; and Special Agent in Charge John Eisert of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Baltimore.

“Fentanyl is one of the most lethal threats facing Maryland right now. As little as two milligrams of fentanyl can be a lethal dose, and the 20 kilograms of fentanyl seized in this case to date is enough to kill 10 million people—more than one and a half times the population of Maryland,” said Maryland U.S. Attorney Robert K. Hur. “We are working with our partners to attack the sources of supply, as well as the street dealers who are committing the most violence in our neighborhoods.”

“Fentanyl exacts a deadly toll in our community and in communities across the country,” said HSI Baltimore Special Agent in Charge John Eisert. “This problem crosses state and international borders and requires partnership between law enforcement agencies. We’re grateful for our allies in this battle against the opioid scourge.”

According to their plea agreements and other court documents, beginning in May 2017 through October 2018, Nevone McCrimmon was the leader of the McCrimmon drug-trafficking organization (DTO), and William Elijah and Terrance Mobley were associates of McCrimmon, assisting with the day-to-day operations of the McCrimmon DTO, including the collection of money for and the distribution heroin and fentanyl to the DTO’s customers. The McCrimmon DTO obtained its heroin and fentanyl from Mexican drug cartels. The DTO would order kilograms of heroin and fentanyl from members and associates of the Jesus Prieto DTO, located in Miami. Florida.

As detailed in their plea agreements, members of the Prieto DTO would travel to the mid-Atlantic area to collect large sums of cash from the McCrimmon DTO, which would then be conveyed directly to members of various Mexican drug-trafficking cartels. The cartels would then facilitate the transportation of heroin and fentanyl to co-conspirators in California. The narcotics would then be transported from California to Baltimore for delivery to the McCrimmon DTO.

In August 2018, federal law enforcement agents intercepted a shipment of 20 kilograms of fentanyl in Ventura, California, that was intended for delivery to the McCrimmon DTO in Maryland. Law enforcement transported the fentanyl to Maryland and conducted a “controlled delivery” to a member of the McCrimmon DTO.

During the investigation, law enforcement seized more than 20 kilograms of fentanyl and over $500,000 in cash.

According to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s National Drug Threat Assessment, Mexican DTOs pose the greatest crime threat to the United States. The cartels use drug trafficking and other criminal activities, such a money laundering, bribery, and gun trafficking, to obtain power, influence, and money, while protecting its activities through a pattern of violence and corruption. To combat this threat, the Department of Justice has formed a Transnational Organized Crime Task Force to coordinate and optimize the Department’s efforts to dismantle the cartels and other priority targets.