EDGEWOOD, MD—A Harford County drug dealer will be spending two decades behind bars.

Earlier this month, Ronald Sullivan, 49, of Edgewood, pled guilty to drug charges and was sentenced to twenty years, suspend all but fifteen years to serve. This case also triggered a violation of probation in a 2011 drug case and Sullivan was sentenced to an additional five years to serve consecutively for a total of twenty years of incarceration.

This case stemmed from a fatal overdose investigation on August 2, 2023. Through the investigation conducted by the Harford County Drug Taskforce, it was revealed that the victim was in contact with Sullivan the night before the overdose, exchanging messages that clearly pertained to a drug purchase. Sullivan was apprehended and found to be in possession of cocaine at the time of his arrest. Following the arrest, further investigation linked another deceased victim to Sullivan, indicating they had also purchased illegal substances from him in July 2023, which ultimately led to their death.

Assistant State’s Attorney Stuart Welch argued that due to the facts and circumstances surrounding this case and considering that this involved the death of two people, an upward deviation from the Maryland Sentencing Guidelines, which were calculated at four to twelve years, was warranted.

“Drug distribution in not a victimless crime,” said State’s Attorney Alison M. Healey following the sentencing. “Too often our community members lose loved ones to the poison that is being peddled on our streets by individuals with no regard for human life or the laws by which we are required to live. Overdose cases can be incredibly challenging, and I am proud of Assistant State’s Attorney Welch and his efforts to ensure that the families of these two victims received closure in their loss. We will continue to aggressively pursue the maximum charges allowable by law to ensure that a strong message is sent to anyone that is considering dealing drugs in our community.”

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