Sarah Maud Jess, Fentanyl Trafficking, Maryland 2024

Greenbelt, Maryland – In a major blow to Maryland’s illicit fentanyl trade, a Jamaican national has been sentenced to five years in federal prison for distributing more than 40 grams of the deadly synthetic opioid.

Sarah Maud Jess, 62, a resident of Capitol Heights, Maryland, was handed down the sentence by District Judge Deborah L. Boardman on [Date].

Jess was found guilty of distributing more than 40 grams of fentanyl in Maryland and elsewhere between November 2023 and October 2024. According to her guilty plea, Jess disseminated the fentanyl in the form of pressed fentanyl pills – round, light blue pills imprinted with ‘M30.’

As part of the investigation, a DEA undercover agent purchased fentanyl pills from Jess, and law enforcement seized fentanyl pills from her vehicle as she was en route to distribute to the undercover agent. Additionally, a firearm was recovered from Jess’s residence.

Law enforcement recovered more than 3,000 fentanyl pills, totaling more than 350 grams of fentanyl, from Jess during the investigation.

In a series of controlled purchases, the undercover agent purchased approximately 600 fentanyl pills from Jess in a Greenbelt, Maryland restaurant parking lot for $3,600. The agent then purchased approximately 1,000 pills from Jess for $6,000. Finally, Jess agreed to sell the agent 700 pills for an unknown amount.

Jess was taken into custody after law enforcement conducted a traffic stop as she drove to meet the undercover agent at a Silver Spring, Maryland mall parking lot. A search of her vehicle revealed a black sock with a clear plastic baggie inside containing approximately 700 blue pills – weighing more than 75 grams of fentanyl – that Jess intended to distribute to the undercover agent.

Jess provided law enforcement with a fake driver’s license with a fake name and an address that was not her actual residence during the traffic stop.

As part of her guilty plea, Jess admitted to being an alien illegally in the United States. She was previously convicted of conspiracy to distribute marijuana in Prince George’s County, Maryland, and was permanently excluded from re-entering the United States because of her prior conviction.

Jess voluntarily and unlawfully re-entered the United States without inspection or permission after being removed from the country following her aggravated felony conviction.

The U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, Kelly O. Hayes, and other law enforcement officials announced the sentencing of Jess, who will serve five years in federal prison for her crimes.