Man ordered to serve 10 years for drug trafficking, firearms

Clara Niel, The Frederick News-Post, Md.
·2 min read
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Aug. 11—A Frederick man was ordered on Wednesday to serve 10 years in prison for several drug trafficking and firearm charges, authorities said.

Blake Anthony Nivens, 26, pleaded guilty Wednesday to two counts of possession of a firearm after a conviction for a violent crime stemming from two incidents — one in March and one in April, according to a news release from the Frederick County State's Attorney's Office.

He also pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute fentanyl from the April incident.

Nivens' attorney, Benjamin Kurtz, could not be reached for comment on Wednesday afternoon.

In March, the release said, the Frederick County Sheriff's Office searched an apartment as part of a drug investigation at the 1300 block of Baker Place East in Frederick.

Nivens was at the residence at the time, the release said.

The sheriff's office said it also found numerous packages of marijuana, baggies of cocaine, pills, psilocybin mushrooms, a black Polymer 80 handgun with a high-capacity magazine, almost $14,000 in cash, IDs, cellphones and drug paraphernalia.

Nivens was arrested, then later released on $20,000 bail, state's attorney's office spokesman Will Cockey wrote in an email. The state's attorney's office had asked that Nivens be held without bail, Cockey added in a text message.

Police said they learned Nivens was still dealing drugs after the arrest, so they continued investigating. They got a second search warrant for Nivens, according to Cockey.

Later in April, police searched Nivens' hotel room at the Best Western Motel at 400 Prospect Blvd. in Frederick, the release said.

The sheriff's office found "numerous items indicative of drug trafficking," such as 2,000 grams of marijuana, or almost four-and-a-half pounds, and a vacuum sealer often used for packaging drugs, the release said.

It also found more than 500 counterfeit pills with fentanyl that were pressed and stamped to look like oxycodone M30 pills, the release said.

Additionally, roughly 99 grams of powder cocaine (just under a quarter-pound), 50 Oxycontin pills and a loaded Beretta 92FS handgun were recovered.

An AR-style pistol was found under a mattress and more than $3,300 was taken from the hotel room, authorities said.

Again, Nivens was arrested, the release said.

Frederick County Circuit Court Judge Theresa Adams sentenced Nivens on Wednesday to 30 years, suspending 20 years. Nivens will have to complete four years of supervised probation after his release and will have to pay $18,929.

Follow Clara Niel on Twitter: @clarasniel