Fatai Gafari, a/k/a Freak Dawg, age 28, of Temple Hills, Maryland, is locked up for more than 12 years after being sentenced to 151 months in federal prison for a ruthless PCP distribution conspiracy and illegally possessing a firearm. U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis handed down the sentence, which includes five years of supervised release, in a Greenbelt courtroom today.
Fatai Gafari didn’t just push poison—he orchestrated a network. From July to December 2017, he led a crew that flooded Prince George’s County with nearly six kilograms of phencyclidine. Working through Timmy Rae Shields, a/k/a Tim Dawg, Gafari directed deliveries, collected cash, and kept the pipeline flowing to street-level distributors Marquez Gary Freeman, Jordan Lee Phillips, Javon Antonio Reid, and Terrell Andre Shields—all of Suitland, Maryland.
One batch—16 ounces in July 2017—landed in the hands of a cooperating source after Phillips moved it. On September 26, Gafari sent Timmy Shields in his own vehicle to deliver six more ounces to Phillips. Then, on November 20, Gafari was caught red-handed selling PCP “dippers” on Parkway Terrace in Suitland. Cops pulled him over mid-exit. He tossed a glass bottle—containing half an ounce of PCP—from his clothes. The bottle didn’t break. The evidence did.
The operation stretched across state lines. Gafari and Reid sold over 43 ounces to a cooperating source between November 30 and December 6. To restock, Gafari and the Shields brothers traveled to Cleveland, Ohio, to buy bulk PCP—including the 32 ounces flipped to the informant on December 6. This wasn’t street-level scrambling. This was organized drug trafficking with interstate reach.
Then came the raid. On December 12, 2017, federal agents stormed Gafari’s Maryland home with a search warrant and found 207 ounces of PCP, drug paraphernalia, and a loaded firearm. Gafari admitted he kept the gun to protect his stash—admitting he, as a convicted felon, had no legal right to possess it. That admission sealed his fate under federal law: no parole, no early release.
Co-defendants are falling in line. Marquez Gary Freeman, a/k/a Cheese, 22, got a year and a day. Jordan Lee Phillips, a/k/a J Rock, 27, was sentenced to two years. Terrell Andre Shields, a/k/a Hell Rell, 31, got five years. Timmy Rae Shields, 27, faces sentencing May 10, 2019. Javon Antonio Reid, a/k/a Gucci, 28, is set for July 8, 2019. U.S. Attorney Robert K. Hur put it blunt: “Fatai Gafari brought danger to our community through the deadly combination of guns and drugs.” The message? Put the gun down—before the feds put you away.
Related Federal Cases
- Terrance Deangelo Hamlin Gets 10+ Years for Gun, Drug Crimes · Maryland
- Laurel Man Gets 11 Years for PCP Ring and Loaded Gun · Maryland
- Baltimore Man Admits to PCP Trafficking in WV · Maryland
- NY Man Gets 24 Months for Multi-State Bank Fraud Scheme · New Hampshire
- Daniel Hill Gets 10 Years for Stolen Gun Possession · Illinois
Key Facts
- State: Maryland
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Weapons|Organized Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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