Maximo Gondres-Medrano, Heroin and Fentanyl Trafficking, Maryland 2019

Baltimore, MD - In a major blow to Baltimore's opioid epidemic, 35-year-old Maximo Gondres-Medrano was sentenced to 10 years and 1 month in federal prison, followed by 5 years of supervised release, on the federal charge of possession with intent to distribute more than 400 grams of fentanyl and heroin.

Gondres-Medrano was convicted on October 9, 2019 after a three-day jury trial.

According to evidence presented at his trial, on September 8, 2017, federal law enforcement prepared an operation to arrest and search Gondres-Medrano based on information that he would be transporting a large quantity of narcotics. The agents observed Gondres-Medrano leave his residence in the 800 block of Whitelock Avenue, in Northwest Baltimore, carrying a shoebox believed to contain narcotics, and then enter the passenger seat of a vehicle. The vehicle was stopped and law enforcement recovered the box, which contained a wrapped package of almost 793 grams of a mixture of heroin and fentanyl—a quantity sufficient to kill hundreds of thousands of people.

In a recorded interview with law enforcement after his arrest, Gondres-Medrano admitted that the August 24, 2017 shipping envelope contained heroin, and provided information about his drug trafficking activity. Gondres-Medrano admitted that he had multiple sources of supply of heroin and ordered kilogram-sized quantities from them.

U.S. Attorney Robert K. Hur commended the FBI, HSI, and the Baltimore Police Department for their work in the investigation. Mr. Hur thanked Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Marilyn Mosby for her assistance in the case.

Mandatory Facts: Defendant Maximo Gondres-Medrano, exact criminal charges of possession with intent to distribute more than 400 grams of fentanyl and heroin, city and state of Baltimore, Maryland, exact date of sentencing January 2020 (actual date not provided, but inferred from the content), sentence of 10 years and 1 month in federal prison, and no dollar amounts involved.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/pr/baltimore-heroin-and-fentanyl-dealer-sentenced-more-10-years-federal-prison