Baltimore’s streets are under siege from a deadly drug ring accused of flooding neighborhoods with fentanyl and heroin since at least February 2018. A federal grand jury has returned a superseding indictment charging eight defendants: Raheem Benjamin, age 26, of Baltimore; Tyrone Milton Gholston, age 39, of Baltimore; Daryl Hart, age 38, of Edgewood, Maryland; Joshua Johnson, age 28, of Baltimore; Ellison Mccrea, age 28, of Baltimore; Raynard Minter, age 21, of Baltimore; Morranda Phimpisane, age 32, of Baltimore; and April Wilkes, age 36, of Baltimore. All are charged with conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl, cocaine, and heroin, fueling an epidemic of overdoses across the city.
The superseding indictment, returned May 7, 2019, and unsealed two days later, marks a major escalation in the federal crackdown on opioid traffickers. U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur didn’t mince words: “More and more people are dying from fentanyl overdoses in Baltimore City and throughout the state. We are continuing to do everything possible to reduce overdose deaths from fentanyl and from all opioids, by investigating and prosecuting those who distribute this poison in our community.”
But the charges go beyond the conspiracy. Raheem Benjamin faces two additional counts: possession of a firearm and ammunition by a prohibited person, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Tyrone Milton Gholston is charged with maintaining a drug-involved premises. Daryl Hart, Raynard Minter, and Morranda Phimpisane are each charged with possession with intent to distribute a mixture of fentanyl and heroin, while Joshua Johnson is charged with possession with intent to distribute fentanyl.
If convicted, each defendant faces a minimum mandatory sentence of 10 years and a maximum of life in prison for the drug conspiracy. Benjamin faces a mandatory minimum of five years in prison—consecutive to any other sentence—for the firearm charge, plus up to life for using a gun in connection with drug trafficking. Hart, Minter, Phimpisane, and Johnson each face up to 20 years on their individual possession-with-intent charges.
As of May 9, 2019, all defendants except Gholston are in federal or state custody. Daryl Hart and Morranda Phimpisane made their initial appearance in U.S. District Court in Baltimore that day and were ordered detained pending hearings. The remaining six have not yet been arraigned. An indictment is not a finding of guilt—each defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty in court.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the Department of Justice’s flagship initiative to combat violent crime through coordinated federal, state, and local enforcement. U.S. Attorney Hur praised the DEA’s Baltimore District Office and the Baltimore Police Department for their relentless work in dismantling this network. With fentanyl killing at record rates, this takedown sends a clear message: those who profit from poison will face federal time.
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Key Facts
- State: Maryland
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking
- Source: Official Source ↗
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