Baltimore, Maryland – A 21-year-old Baltimore man has pleaded guilty to federal charges of possession with intent to distribute controlled substances and to possession of a firearm in a school zone.
Vashawn Watkins, 21, of Baltimore, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to federal charges of possession with intent to distribute controlled substances and to possession of a firearm in a school zone.
According to his guilty plea, from October 2020 through March 1, 2021, Watkins was engaged in drug trafficking involving large amounts of fentanyl and other controlled substances. Watkins and his associates operated a stash house in the unit block of Clovelly Street in Pikesville, Maryland, where they processed fentanyl and other drugs, mixed the drugs with cutting agents, and packaged the drugs for re-sale.
Watkins and his associates then drove the packaged drug products to drug shops operated by their drug trafficking organization, specifically drug shops along Stricker Street, School Street, and Gilmor Street in Baltimore. Watkins further admitted that he sometimes oversaw the drug trafficking operations at the Stricker Street drug shop.
As detailed in his plea agreement, on February 11, 2021, while Watkins was overseeing operations at the Stricker Street drug shop, law enforcement officers saw Watkins place a firearm inside a vehicle parked in the 1500 block of North Stricker Street. Law enforcement obtained a search warrant for the vehicle and recovered a .45-caliber firearm along with Watkins’ State-issued identification card.
The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge Jarod Forget of the Drug Enforcement Administration – Washington Division; Baltimore City Sheriff John W. Anderson; Commissioner Michael Harrison of the Baltimore Police Department; and Chief Melissa R. Hyatt of the Baltimore County Police Department.
Watkins and the government have agreed that, if the Court accepts the plea agreement, Watkins will be sentenced to between eight and ten years in federal prison. U.S. District Judge Catherine C. Blake has scheduled sentencing for November 9, 2022 at 2:15 p.m.
Related Federal Cases
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- Myron D. Baker, Opioid Distribution, Ohio 2019 · Alabama
- John Doe Pleads Guilty to Witness Tampering, Maryland, 2024 · District of Columbia
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Key Facts
- State: Maryland
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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