Heroin Kingpin Bates Gets 10 Years – Again

BALTIMORE – Marlow Bates, Jr., 33, of Baltimore, is heading back to federal prison after U.S. District Judge Ellen L. Hollander handed down a 10-year sentence today for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute heroin. The sentence includes five years of supervised release. Bates was one of fourteen individuals indicted in a large-scale drug conspiracy back on September 24, 2013, but this isn’t his first trip to the federal penitentiary.

The announcement came from United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein, who didn’t mince words. “Marlow Bates, Jr., did not get the message after he was convicted in 2009,” Rosenstein stated bluntly. “Now he will spend the next decade in federal prison.” The case was a collaborative effort between the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Baltimore Police Department, and the Baltimore County Police Department.

Court-authorized wiretaps painted a damning picture of Bates’ operation. Investigators intercepted recordings of Bates arranging heroin transactions, including one instance where he fronted a co-conspirator $7,000 for the drug. Bates himself admitted, in another recording, to distributing a staggering 50 grams of heroin *per day*. Authorities estimate Bates was responsible for moving between one and three kilograms of the deadly opioid. The sheer volume of heroin involved underscores the damage he inflicted on Baltimore’s streets.

What makes Bates’ case particularly galling is that he was *already* on supervised release at the time of his latest arrest. In 2009, Bates was among 24 defendants – including four correctional employees – indicted on federal charges for ties to the Black Guerilla Family gang. He pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute heroin and smuggle contraband into Maryland prisons, earning a 46-month sentence. He was released on September 20, 2012, and less than a year later, on August 10, 2013, he was caught dealing heroin *again*.

The brazen disregard for the law is clear. Bates’ history demonstrates a pattern of criminal behavior and a clear unwillingness to rehabilitate. The Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force case, led by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher J. Romano and Seema Mittal, successfully brought Bates to justice, but the question remains: will this latest sentence finally deter him? Rosenstein praised the investigative work of the FBI, Baltimore Police Department, and Baltimore County Police Department, highlighting the importance of interagency cooperation in tackling drug trafficking.

The Grimy Times will continue to follow this case and report on the ongoing battle against drug trafficking in Baltimore and beyond. Bates’ sentence sends a message, however, that those who profit from the misery of others will be held accountable, even if it takes multiple attempts to keep them off the streets.