Maryland Man Sentenced for Role in Heroin Trafficking Operation

Heroin Trafficking Operation Takes Down another Player

MARTINSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Kenneth Bryan Crowley, a 29-year-old Rockville, Maryland resident, has been sentenced to 18 months in prison for his role in a multi-state heroin distribution network.

The sentencing, which took place on an undisclosed date, was announced by United States Attorney William J. Ihlenfeld, II. Crowley was one of 41 individuals charged in a 163-count federal heroin trafficking indictment in June 2015. As part of the operation, heroin was repeatedly transported across state lines from Maryland to locations in West Virginia, Virginia, and Pennsylvania for redistribution and sale.

Crowley pled guilty in November 2015 to one count of Conspiracy to Distribute Heroin. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Anna Krasinski and Paul Camilletti on behalf of the government.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Eastern Panhandle Drug and Violent Crime Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative, investigated the case. Chief U.S. District Judge Gina M. Groh presided over the sentencing.

The operation targeted a large-scale heroin trafficking organization. The indictment highlighted the severity of the operation, with 163 counts of heroin trafficking. Crowley’s sentence serves as a reminder of the consequences of involvement in such operations.

The sentencing is a significant blow to the heroin trafficking operation, which had a significant impact on multiple states. It remains to be seen how the remaining defendants will be brought to justice.