Hugh Emerson Berry, Jr., Federal Firearm and Narcotics Trafficking, Maryland 2025

Hugh Emerson Berry, Jr., a previously convicted felon, was sentenced to 78 months in federal prison for his role in a narcotics and firearm trafficking network in Baltimore, Maryland.

Berry, 41, of Hagerstown, Maryland, pleaded guilty in January 2025 to conspiracy to distribute heroin, fentanyl, and methamphetamine, as well as possession with intent to distribute fentanyl.

The investigation, led by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), began in May 2023 in conjunction with the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Maryland State Police (MSP).

During the investigation, ATF, HSI, and MSP investigators discovered that Berry and his co-conspirators were selling both illegal narcotics and firearms throughout Maryland.

Berry, a convicted felon who cannot possess firearms or ammunition, offered firearms and a machine-gun conversion device to undercover investigators.

Between May and October 2023, Berry sold an undercover detective heroin, fentanyl, and methamphetamine, as well as numerous firearms, including eight polymer 80 firearms, three firearm magazines, and a machine-gun conversion device.

U.S. Attorney Kelly O. Hayes commended the ATF, HSI, U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), MSP Criminal Enforcement Division, and Hagerstown Police Department (HPD) for their work in the investigation.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program aimed at reducing violent crime and gun violence in communities.

Berry's sentencing is also part of the Baltimore Strike Force Initiative, which brings together multiple law enforcement agencies to disrupt and dismantle violent drug trafficking, money laundering, and transnational criminal organizations in the Baltimore metropolitan and surrounding areas.

Hugh Emerson Berry, Jr. is a defendant who cannot possess firearms or ammunition due to his previous conviction.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/pr/previously-convicted-felon-sentenced-federal-firearm-and-narcotics-trafficking-offenses