Related Federal Cases
- Drug Trafficker, Maryland 2024 · Pennsylvania
- Heroin Dealer Pleads Guilty to Leading Drug Trafficking Organization · Pennsylvania
- Richard Shusterman, Wire Fraud Conspiracy, Maryland 2024 · Pennsylvania
- Neris Moreno-Martinez, Kidnapping Conspiracy, Maryland 2024 · Pennsylvania
- John Doe, Identity Theft, Maryland 2024 · Pennsylvania
Ernest Lee Bailey, Drug Trafficking, Maryland 2020
Baltimore drug trafficker Ernest Lee Bailey, 51, has been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for his role in a large-scale drug trafficking operation in Baltimore. Bailey, of Owings Mills, Maryland, was found guilty of possession with intent to distribute controlled substances, including heroin, fentanyl, cocaine, and MDMA.
The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Acting Special Agent in Charge R. Joseph Rothrock of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), Baltimore Field Office; Special Agent in Charge Jarod Forget of the Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA”) – Washington Division; and Special Agent in Charge Troy W. Springer of the National Capital Region U.S. Department of Labor – Office of Inspector General (“DOL-OIG”).
According to his guilty plea, from at least November 2019 to November 2020, Bailey led a drug trafficking organization (DTO) that was responsible for distributing kilogram quantities of controlled substances in and around Baltimore.
As detailed in his plea agreement, law enforcement intercepted communications from multiple cellphones used by Bailey in connection with his drug activities, including “source” phones, which Bailey used to communicate with sources of drug supply, and “shop” phones with Bailey used to communicate with downstream distributors.
The intercepted communications revealed that Bailey obtained heroin from a Mexican-based DTO, whose middleman in New York City delivered narcotics to, and received payments from, Bailey on behalf of the Mexican DTO. Bailey also obtained cocaine from a source of supply in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, through a co-conspirator who was a Baltimore-area cocaine wholesaler.
According to the plea agreement, Bailey maintained a network of wholesale drug redistributors who sold the drugs supplied by Bailey to their own customers. He rented an apartment on Heath Street in Baltimore, which he used as a stash location to store and process drugs for redistribution. Bailey also used the proceeds of bank fraud to pay the rent on the apartment, using pandemic-related unemployment insurance benefits that were fraudulently issued to an inmate, T.S.
On November 16, 2020, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Bailey’s residence and recovered 13 cell phones, men’s designer watches and other jewelry, and $8,980 in cash. Searches of the Heath Street apartment recovered drug paraphernalia, including digital scales, drug cutting agents, hydraulic presses, and controlled substances, including over 215 grams of a mixture of fentanyl, heroin, methamphetamine, and tramadol; and 301 grams of eutylone, a controlled substance analogous to MDMA.
Bailey was the last defendant in this 13-defendant case. His sentence marks the end of a significant effort by law enforcement to disrupt and dismantle large-scale drug trafficking operations in Baltimore.
Key Facts
- State: Maryland
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
ðŸâ€Â’ Get the grimiest stories delivered weekly. Subscribe free →
MORE FEDERAL CRIME NEWS
US NewsUS NewsUS NewsUS News