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Cocaine Conspirators Sentenced to Nine Years in Federal Prison
Two men have been sentenced to over nine years in federal prison for their roles in a cocaine distribution conspiracy in Baltimore County, Maryland.
Tony Lee Bauer, 39, of Baltimore, was sentenced to 110 months in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, by U.S. District Judge George L. Russell, III, for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute cocaine, as well as possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking.
Rondell Ronald Hackett, 43, of Middle River, Maryland, was sentenced to 138 months in federal prison for the same charge.
According to the plea agreements, Bauer and Hackett were part of a larger drug trafficking organization in Baltimore County, which was being investigated by HSI and the Baltimore County Police Department in December 2017. The organization was led by Gary Gaines-Hidalgo, 28, and Carlos A. Castro-Castro, 36, both of Baja California, Mexico.
As part of the conspiracy, Gaines-Hidalgo arranged to purchase kilograms of cocaine from a confidential source for $26,500 per kilogram and then resell them to other members of the organization for $28,000 per kilogram. In January 2018, Gaines-Hidalgo and Castro-Castro entered the United States from Mexico and traveled to Baltimore, where they agreed to sell three kilograms of cocaine to other members of the organization.
On January 26, 2018, members of the organization, including Bauer, Hackett, and others, met in a parking lot in Baltimore to purchase the cocaine. The meeting was set up by Gaines-Hidalgo, and law enforcement agents were hiding in the area. When the agents approached, Hackett and another member of the organization attempted to drive away, but were stopped.
In total, law enforcement recovered $129,583 in cash from the defendants, their vehicles, and their residence. The organization also recovered a loaded 9mm semi-automatic pistol and a loaded .45-caliber semi-automatic pistol, as well as kilogram-shaped packages of powder cocaine and sham narcotics.
Other members of the organization have also been sentenced to prison time. Gary Gaines-Hidalgo was sentenced to 37 months in federal prison, while Aaron Kenith Waller, 52, of Crofton, Maryland, received a sentence of 51 months. Adrian Herrera-Diaz, 29, of Baltimore County, Maryland, is scheduled to be sentenced on July 20, 2021.
The case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program that brings together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make neighborhoods safer.
Key Facts
- State: Maryland
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Violent Crime|Organized Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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