Terrance Deangelo Hamlin Gets 10+ Years for Gun, Drug Crimes

Capitol Heights, Maryland, turned another grim page in its violent crime saga as 27-year-old Terrance Deangelo Hamlin was sentenced to 123 months in federal prison for gun and drug offenses. The fallout from a June 2015 raid on a local apartment culminated in a federal conviction after a four-day trial that laid bare Hamlin’s alleged role in drug distribution and illegal firearm possession.

On June 9, 2015, Prince George’s County Police officers patrolling a violence-plagued stretch of Capitol Heights caught a pungent whiff of marijuana drifting from an open apartment window. The leaseholder, a woman who allowed officers inside, opened the door to a scene of blatant drug activity. Terrance Deangelo Hamlin sat in the living room, surrounded by two bags of marijuana, digital scales, and a scattering of empty baggies—clear indicators of distribution.

A search, authorized by the leaseholder’s written consent, turned up a deadly arsenal and a small drug empire’s toolkit. Officers seized approximately 215 grams of marijuana, 10.76 grams of crack cocaine split into 22 small zip lock bags and one large bag, an eye dropper and bottle containing phencyclidine (PCP), and approximately $474 in cash. Two loaded handguns—a .45 caliber and a 9mm—were recovered, along with additional drug paraphernalia.

Hamlin was charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, possession with intent to distribute marijuana and crack cocaine, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. A federal jury found him guilty on April 26, 2016, rejecting any claim of innocence. The conviction exposed a pattern of violent criminal enterprise in one of Maryland’s most troubled corridors.

U.S. District Judge Roger W. Titus delivered the sentence: 123 months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release. The penalty reflects the federal government’s zero-tolerance stance on armed drug operations, especially in high-crime areas where guns and narcotics fuel ongoing violence. Prosecutors emphasized Hamlin’s status as a felon handling loaded weapons during active drug dealing.

U.S. Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein credited the FBI’s Washington and Baltimore Field Offices, along with the Prince George’s County Police Department, for dismantling the threat. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joseph R. Baldwin and Deborah A. Johnston prosecuted the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force case, with support from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The message is clear: in Capitol Heights, the feds are watching—and they’re not backing down.