Abingdon Man Sentenced to 14 Years for Cocaine Distribution Conspiracy

BALTIMORE – A Baltimore County man has been sentenced to 14 years in federal prison for his role in a cocaine distribution conspiracy.

William Frederick Cornish, 52, of Abingdon, Maryland, was sentenced on Wednesday, March 15, by U.S. District Judge Ellen L. Hollander for his involvement in the cocaine distribution ring.

Cornish was convicted of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine and was sentenced to 14 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release.

The investigation into Cornish’s activities began in August 2015, when the DEA received information about a group trafficking large amounts of cocaine into Maryland. The group was using a warehouse on Golden Ring Road in Baltimore, but had been evicted by July 31, 2015. Investigators identified a new warehouse on Hammonds Ferry Road in Linthicum Heights, Maryland, as the new location being used by the group.

On April 6, 2016, a tractor trailer with the KMKJ logo arrived at the Hammonds Ferry Road warehouse, and investigators observed items being unloaded from the tractor trailer into the warehouse. A short time later, law enforcement observed a van conducting counter-surveillance to determine if law enforcement was in the area.

On the evening of April 8, 2016, investigators saw Cornish’s co-conspirators arrive at the Linthicum Heights warehouse. One of the co-conspirators then left in a black Honda, followed by a silver F-150 pickup truck. The co-conspirator got out of his car and went into the warehouse, and the F-150 entered the warehouse through the bay door. A few minutes later, the bay door re-opened and the F-150 drove out of the warehouse. The truck, driven by Cornish, was stopped by law enforcement shortly after leaving the warehouse area.

A narcotics detection dog was brought to the scene and scanned the truck, resulting in a positive response for the presence of illegal drugs. Law enforcement recovered 31 kilograms of cocaine from a box in the back seat of the truck. Law enforcement also stopped Cornish’s co-conspirators as they left the warehouse.

Search warrants were obtained and executed at the warehouse and at the residences of Cornish and his co-conspirators. Law enforcement recovered three large duffel bags in the basement of one of the homes containing approximately $2.4 million in cash. Investigators also recovered a drug/money ledger in the home documenting just over $2.4 million in receipts from the sale of illegal drugs. From Cornish’s home, law enforcement recovered a money counter, colored rubber bands, latex gloves, and a digital scale, typically used in the narcotics trade to count and package money and to weigh drugs prior to distribution.

Cornish’s sentencing is the result of a lengthy investigation led by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, with assistance from the Baltimore County Police Department, the Maryland Transportation Authority Police, and the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation. The investigation was part of a larger effort to disrupt and dismantle the cocaine distribution ring operating in Maryland.

U.S. Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein praised the work of the law enforcement agencies involved in the investigation, saying, ‘This sentence sends a strong message to those involved in cocaine trafficking that they will be held accountable for their crimes.’

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher J. Romance of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland.

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