BALTIMORE, MD—A Baltimore County husband and wife have been sentenced to prison for dealing illegal drugs.

U.S. District Judge George L. Russell, III has sentenced Nathaniel Donnell Carter, 37, to eight years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute crack cocaine and for possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Judge Russell sentenced Carter’s wife, Raymia Sophia Carroll, also 37, to thirty months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for the crack cocaine distribution conspiracy.

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Assistant Special Agent in Charge Orville O. Greene of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Baltimore District Office; Chief Melissa R. Hyatt of the Baltimore County Police Department; and Baltimore County State’s Attorney Scott Shellenberger.

According to their guilty pleas, on November 12, 2019, the DEA and the Baltimore County Police Department conducted surveillance on Carter’s and Carroll’s family home in connection with an investigation into their drug trafficking activities.

Law enforcement saw Carter leave the house with a bulge in the front pocket of his hooded jacket and drive away. Carter was seen fidgeting in the car and continued to reach behind and under the front passenger seat.

Officers conducted a traffic stop. After being read his Miranda rights, which he acknowledged, Carter gave consent for officers to search his vehicle, telling them “it would be under the seat.” Law enforcement recovered a .45-caliber handgun from the center console of the vehicle and a large black bag containing 1,012.3 grams of crack cocaine from under the front passenger seat.

Law enforcement traveled to a Baltimore County elementary school to conduct surveillance on Carroll and saw her car. A K-9 scan of the vehicle alerted positive for drugs. Law enforcement conducted a search of the vehicle and recovered approximately 385.242 grams of crack cocaine and packaging materials.

A subsequent search of the family home recovered 72.9 grams of crack cocaine, packaging materials, and 22.5 grams of suspected marijuana.

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