Washington County drug case involved 'staggering amount' of pure fentanyl

A Maryland man was sentenced to 20 years in state prison earlier this week in a drug case that Assistant State's Attorney Brock Shriver said involved a "staggering amount" of pure Fentanyl.

"This amount of Fentanyl could kill the population of this county three times over," Washington County Circuit Court Judge Mark K. Boyer said Tuesday in sentencing Damani Nathan Jones.

The case involves a ghost gun and 1,094 grams of pure fentanyl — over a kilogram, disguised as blue Percocet pills found in a postal box shipped from Chandler, Ariz., to Hagerstown, according to charging documents and Shriver.

Maryland State Police noted in charging documents that the Chandler area is known for shipments of illicit narcotics to other parts of the U.S. and that a recent trend has been to disguise fentanyl as prescription Percocet "M30" blue pills like the ones found.

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Jones, 26, pleaded guilty in January to felony charges of possession of fentanyl with intent to distribute, transporting a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime, and possession of a large amount of fentanyl, according to court records. Other gun and drug charges were dropped as part of the plea deal. Charging documents list Jones' address as a motel near the Maryland-Pennsylvania state line. The address for Jones on his online case docket is northwest of Rockville, Md.

For pure fentanyl, at least 5 grams is considered a "large amount" for the third charge, Shriver said.

Boyer sentenced Jones to 20 years in prison, with another 20 years suspended.

Defense attorney Jonathan Newton told Boyer that Jones is not a sophisticated drug dealer, but a man who's been addicted to pain pills and who was pulled into a situation, becoming an unwitting participant. However, Newton said he would "not say entirely unwitting."

Jones understood he was doing something wrong, but what wasn't deliberate was having such a large amount of drugs, Newton said.

Newton asked Boyer to provide a shorter sentence that would allow Jones to be redeemed, for his client to be evaluated for his addiction and to serve his time at the Patuxent Institution in Howard County, Md.

Patuxent is a treatment-oriented prison operated by the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services that is separate from the Division of Correction, spokesman Mark Vernarelli said in a phone interview.

Jones told Boyer that, "My poor life decisions not only affect me, but my family and the community as well."

"I'm not a bad person. I just got mixed up with the wrong people and made some bad decisions," Jones said. "I'm sorry for everything. I understand that what I did is wrong."

The postal package of fentanyl

Shriver told the court that state police and the U.S. Postal Service discovered a package sent to Hagerstown from Arizona and tracked the package, believing it contained illegal drugs. Authorities saw Jones pick the package up in Hagerstown and conducted a traffic stop.

The traffic stop off Robinwood Drive on April 11, 2022, was conducted after state police, in an unmarked vehicle, saw the white Acura TSX fail to come to a complete stop before a turn and also follow another vehicle too closely, according to charging documents.

When a trooper talked to the driver, Jones, he detected the smell of marijuana from inside the Acura and Jones allegedly said he was concealing marijuana that was found in his coat pocket, court documents state.

A probable cause search of the car revealed a Glock-style "ghost gun" on the back seat inside a hard-shell gun case, court records state. The gun was loaded with a 10-round magazine and nine rounds of ammo, though no ammo was chambered in the gun. There also was a 30-round 9 mm magazine in the gun case.

A ghost gun is a privately-made firearm that doesn't have a serial number.

The postal package was on the front passenger seat. Inside it, police found a vacuum bag box. Inside that, within bubble wrap, was a large package containing round blue pills marked "M30" that police suspected were fentanyl, charging documents state.

Police also found $1,184 in cash in Jones' wallet.

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Citing stats from the county's Narcotics Task Force, Shriver said there were 371 overdoses involving heroin/fentanyl last year, with 68 of those overdoses being fatal.

As of Monday, 15 of the 110 overdoses this year from heroin/fentanyl have been fatal, he said.

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In seeking a 25-year active sentence for Jones, Shriver said, "We're not going to tolerate people bringing poison into our community and bringing guns to protect (their) fentanyl investment."

Shriver also mentioned cellphone records that he said made it clear Jones was running a drug sale operation and that his lack of a deeper criminal record was more of a testament to him not being caught.

Newton said is client has been addicted to Percocet and oxycodone.

"He, himself, could have become a victim of the pills himself because he has an addiction," Newton said.

Newton asked Boyer to consider a 5-year sentence for the distribution charge and concurrent sentences for the other two.

Three family members and a family friend spoke on Jones' behalf in asking Boyer for a lighter sentence.

Sandra Bull said she tutored Jones, who once dated her daughter, and found Jones didn't mince words when he told her, "There's nothing wrong with me. I'm just lazy."

Bull said Jones "buckled down and flourished" when she held him accountable, and said "he just needed encouragement and someone not to give up."

She told Boyer she was "profoundly disappointed" in Jones, but that he is "able to make positive changes" and is "worth more than becoming a statistic."

The Rev. Daniel Jones told Boyer he wasn't going to say his son hadn't made some bad decisions, but that Damani is afraid of guns and needs treatment for addiction.

"He's not a throwaway," Jones said of his son.

Boyer told Jones' supporters he appreciated their remarks.

He explained that sentencing includes four considerations — punishment and rehabilitation as well as deterrence and public safety.

"The amount of fentanyl in this case is astonishing," Boyer said. He also pointed out that the gun didn't have a serial number and mentioned the phone records Shriver referenced.

Boyer said Jones gets 143 days' credit for time served. He will be on four years of supervised probation when released.

Jones is to be evaluated for substance abuse and go through recommended treatment, Boyer said.

The cash and gun are forfeited to state police, he said.

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Mail: Maryland man sentenced in local drug case with over 1 kilo of fentanyl