Baltimore man is last to be sentenced in drug-related investigation that started in Howard County

Allana Haynes, Baltimore Sun
·4 min read
1

A Baltimore man pleaded guilty to several drug-related charges in a case that originated with an investigation by Howard County Police.

That probe led to the prosecution of a criminal organization involved in the distribution of large amounts of fentanyl that were linked to multiple overdoses throughout Maryland and surrounding areas and resulted in six guilty pleas, said Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown in a Monday news release.

On July 10, Maleik Moody, 28, of Baltimore, pleaded guilty to several charges before Howard County Circuit Judge Mary Kramer , including participating in a criminal organization, knowingly distributing fentanyl and the possession of a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime.

Moody was sentenced to 30 years in prison, with all but 10 years suspended, and will serve the first five years of that sentence without the possibility of parole.

Moody was the last defendant to be sentenced among the six charged in this investigation, according to the release. All other defendants had previously pleaded guilty.

The case originated with an investigation by the Howard County Police Department into a nonfatal opioid overdose. The investigation, led by the Attorney General’s Organized Crime Unit, the Howard County Police Department and the Strike Force 7 Group, led by the Maryland State Police, linked the overdose to as many as six additional overdoses in Maryland and Virginia, including at least one fatal overdose.

Detectives seized more than one kilogram of fentanyl and six handguns, observed hundreds of hand-to-hand drug transactions in multiple jurisdictions and intercepted communications confirming the distribution of large amounts of fentanyl throughout Maryland.

The investigation revealed that the organization was a source of a significant amount of fentanyl being redistributed throughout Maryland and as far as Virginia and West Virginia.

Here are the other individuals who pleaded guilty:

  • Trezjure Fielding, 23, of Philadelphia, pleaded guilty July 5 before Howard County Circuit Judge Quincy Coleman to charges of conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and distribution of fentanyl. Fielding received a 20-year sentence, all of which was suspended except for 14 days. Fielding was placed on three years of supervised probation.

  • Rymek Milligan, 35, of Baltimore, pleaded guilty June 12 before Howard County Circuit Judge William Tucker to charges including participation in a criminal organization, possession of a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime and possession of a large amount of fentanyl. The judge sentenced Milligan to 20 years of incarceration with all but five years suspended. Milligan will serve those five years without the possibility of parole.

  • Trayvon Guest, 24, of Baltimore, pleaded guilty March 15 before Kramer to charges of conspiracy to participate in a criminal organization and possession with intent to distribute a fake controlled dangerous substance. The judge sentenced Guest to seven years of incarceration.

  • Darvin McCoy, 36, of Odenton, pleaded guilty Jan. 23 before Howard County Circuit Judge Stephanie Porter to charges that included drug kingpin, supervision of a criminal organization, conspiracy to commit robbery, solicitation of robbery, illegal possession of a regulated firearm, possession of a firearm with nexus to a drug trafficking crime, possession of a large amount of fentanyl mixture and distribution of fentanyl. The robbery charges pertained to McCoy’s role in the robbery of drugs, jewelry and money from a co-conspirator as a sanction for transgressions against the criminal organization. McCoy was sentenced to 20 years of incarceration without the possibility of parole.

  • Jawan Fulton, 29, of Baltimore, pleaded guilty Nov. 22 before Tucker to charges that included supervision of a criminal organization, conspiracy to commit robbery, possession of a firearm with nexus to a drug trafficking crime, possession of a large amount of fentanyl and distribution of fentanyl. The judge sentenced Fulton to 20 years of incarceration, with all but five years suspended. Fulton will serve those five years without the possibility of parole, followed by three years of supervised probation.

“Too many lives in Maryland have been tragically marred by the illicit drug trade and the lethal grip of fentanyl addiction, leaving a trail of devastation and countless lives lost,” Brown said in the release. “These defendants, who willfully and without regard for the health and safety of others, distributed these drugs, leaving those in our community susceptible to overdose and death, will now be held accountable.”