Fifteen Co-Defendants Previously Convicted for Drug Conspiracy
GREENBELT, Md. (Sept. 7, 2010)—U.S. District Judge Roger W. Titus sentenced Jamohl Aaron Swann, age 30, of Fort Washington, Maryland, on August 31 to 20 years in prison followed by five years of supervised release for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute cocaine, possessing a gun in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime; being a felon in possession of ammunition; and money laundering. Judge Titus enhanced Swann’s sentence upon finding that Swann is both an armed career criminal and a career offender based on three previous convictions for distribution of controlled substances.
The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein; Special Agent in Charge Ava Cooper-Davis of the Drug Enforcement Administration -Washington Field Division; Charles County Sheriff Rex Coffey; Special Agent in Charge Rebecca Sparkman of the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation, Washington, D.C. Field Office; St. Mary’s County Sheriff Tim Cameron; Chief Roberto L. Hylton of the Prince George’s County Police Department; and Chief J. Thomas Manger of the Montgomery County Police Department.
“This case resulted from a coordinated investigation by local, state and federal law enforcement,” said U.S. Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein. “It is part of a concerted effort to put Southern Maryland drug dealers out of business.”
"The IRS-Criminal Investigation follows the money trail to financially disrupt significant illegal trafficking organizations," stated Rebecca Sparkman, Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation Special Agent in Charge, Washington DC Field Office. "We are united with the rest of the law enforcement community in our resolve to dismantle criminal organizations that commit crimes against our society and economy."
According to Swann’s guilty plea, from 2005 through July 2008, Swann obtained cocaine, black tar heroin and ecstacy from sources in Maryland, New Jersey, Virginia and Canada. Swann conspired with others to sell the drugs in Charles County, Prince George’s County, Maryland and Washington, D.C.
For example, in late 2006 Swann began traveling to Newark, New Jersey to buy 17 to 22 pounds of cocaine each month. Beginning in 2007, Swann also began buying an additional 17 to 22 pounds of cocaine each month from another source in New Jersey. For each 2.2 pounds of cocaine, Swann paid $23,000 and made a profit of $1,000 to $1,500. Swann also sent others to buy the cocaine and provided them with cash. Swann’s conspirators would smuggle the cocaine back to Maryland where it was stored in stash houses under Swann’s control. Swann told others in his drug trafficking organization when the cocaine and cocaine base was ready to be picked up, and discussed “cooking” the cocaine into cocaine base, and then weighing and packing it for sale.
In 2007 Swann provided $200 of cocaine to an individual in Prince George’s County in return for a semi-automatic handgun which Swann kept at his home.
On July 10, 2008, Swann’s home and car were searched pursuant to a search warrant and agents seized the handgun loaded with ammunition, an empty magazine, over $9,000 in cash, cocaine, cocaine base and drug packaging materials.
During the course of the conspiracy, Swann is responsible for between 110 and 330 pounds of cocaine; and between 3 and 10 pounds of cocaine base.
Fifteen co-defendants have pleaded guilty to their participation in the drug conspiracy and 11 have been sentenced to between 84 and 280 months in prison.
United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein thanked the Drug Enforcement Administration; the Charles County Sheriff’s Office; the IRS-Criminal Investigation; the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office; the Prince George’s County Police Department and the Montgomery County Police Department for their investigative work in this Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force case. Mr. Rosenstein commended Assistant United States Attorneys James A. Crowell IV and Jonathan Su, who prosecuted the case.
Source: United States Attorney's Office for the District of Maryland