Reginald Leon Bolden, Crack Cocaine Conspiracy, Maryland 2021

Baltimore, MD – In a shocking turn of events, Reginald Leon Bolden, a 37-year-old Harford County resident, pleaded guilty to participating in a conspiracy to sell crack cocaine. This confession was made yesterday, marking a significant blow to the local narcotics trade.

The guilty plea was announced by Acting United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Jonathan F. Lenzner; Harford County State’s Attorney Albert J. Peisinger, Jr.; Assistant Special Agent in Charge Orville O. Greene of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Baltimore District Office; Chief Melissa R. Hyatt of the Baltimore County Police Department; Sheriff Jeff Gahler of the Harford County Sheriff’s Office; and the Harford County Narcotics Task Force comprised of members of the Harford County Sheriff’s Office, Aberdeen Police Department, Bel Air Police Department, and Havre de Grace Police Department.

According to the plea agreement, as a result of the Harford County Narcotics Task Force investigation into a drug trafficking organization (DTO) distributing powder and crack cocaine, Bolden, Tremayne Gerrad Murphy, and Joel Hammond were identified as DTO members. Law enforcement observed numerous instances of drug-related activities, including a trip to Wilmington, Delaware.

On February 24, 2020, investigators surveilled Bolden and Murphy as they traveled to Wilmington, Delaware to meet with a cocaine supplier. After completing the transaction for nine ounces of cocaine, Bolden and Murphy returned to Harford County to distribute the cocaine. Two days later, Murphy was observed traveling to a Wilmington, Delaware casino to return the cocaine to the original supplier as customers complained about the quality of the cocaine.

After meeting with the source, detectives followed Murphy back to Harford County where Murphy was observed conducting a hand-to-hand drug transaction. On March 15, 2020, Bolden was intercepted regarding the purchase of three ounces of crack cocaine from co-defendant Hammond.

Bolden and Murphy have agreed to sentences of between eight years and nine years in federal prison and between 60 months and 92 months in federal prison, respectively. U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett has scheduled sentencing for November 2, 2021 at 11 a.m. for Bolden and December 2, 2021 at 11 a.m. for Murphy.

The investigation into the DTO also led to the identification of co-defendant Joel Hammond, who pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute cocaine base on July 1, 2021.

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