Names of indicted suspected drug dealers released.

 

(Shore Daily News)

The names of eight more suspected drug dealers, who were indicted by a multi-district grand jury on the Eastern Shore of Virginia earlier this month, were disclosed in court records late last week.

(View news story:)

Eight more suspected of dealing illegal drugs on the Eastern Shore - Shore Daily News

The Eastern Shore Drug Task Force Seeks Information

The Eastern Shore Drug Task Force is seeking information related to the recent rash of graffiti throughout Accomack County.

A cash reward is being offered for information leading to an arrest.  Individuals who provide information are NOT required to testify and may remain anonymous.

Anyone with information related to the graffitti investigation, ongoing drug activity or any other drug activity is asked to contact the Eastern Shore Drug Task Force @ 757-387-2515.

Beau Oglesby- Getting The Job Done In Worcester County

Beau Oglesby and the best law enforcement organizations nearby did Worcester County a wonderful thing a few days ago by loading up some of the biggest druggies in the county and hauling their asses off to jail!  I'm just glad I wasn't one of the parents impacted by this with a child that had ever purchased drugs from one of these scumbags.  I would have asked for a turn to speak before the judge on the day Beau Oglesby met with the judge to discuss bail for these low living creatures.

I'd like to laugh in the face of the creep that told the judge he couldn't stay in jail because he needed his medication.  What?  Medication?  You care about YOUR miserable health (now that your ass is in a bind)  but NOT the health of someones child?  How dare you even speak that crap!  Bail?  NOPE!  Not for any of them!  Just cram them into the same cell and let them fight it out!

Not fair?  Not nice?  Inhumane?  Is what they do to our families fair and just?  Is it fair for these people to sell drugs in a school zone?  Is what they have done time after time humane?

Fortunately, for some,  I don't make the laws. 

I guess the one big question is why does it ever have to get to the point that we have to bring out the 'big guns' in order to  get these people off the street?  And why can't we keep them off the street?  And what can people do to erase drugs from the communities?

Unfortunately there will always be drugs.  But shouldn't the smaller local  police agencies be doing their part?

Keep up the good work Mr. Oglesby!  There is plenty to be done and I have no doubt that you will get to all of it very soon.

Nancy Powell

Staff Writer

Aug. 5, 2011) Minaster Fate Nixon Wright, 55, of Pocomoke, told Judge Thomas C. Groton during a bond review hearing on Monday that he had never been convicted of a crime.

Wright, one of 36 people arrested over the weekend as part of a massive drug distribution investigation, evidently forgot that this was not exactly correct.

State’s Attorney Beau Oglesby told Groton that Wright had been convicted in 1974 of forgery, in 1965 of theft, in 1987 of malicious destruction of property, in 1987 of possession of a controlled dangerous substance and in 2004 of resisting arrest. He had also been found guilty of violation of probation.

Wright’s arrest over the weekend was for drug offenses on June 27 and July 14. His charges included selling marijuana within 1,000 feet from a school zone. The drug transactions, Oglesby said, were from Wright’s property, which is adjacent to Pocomoke Middle School.


Wright’s bond had been set at $75,000, but Wright wanted it to be lowered.

“That is not fair,” he said. “I’m a diabetic. I need my medicine.”

Groton was not inclined to lower the bond.

“Of all the cases I’ve seen, I believe this one may be too low,” he said.


Groton kept Wright’s bond at $75,000. He spent much of the morning listening to the charges of people picked up as part of the massive arrests by members of the Worcester County Criminal Enforcement Team, composed of the Worcester County Sheriff’s Office, the Maryland State Police, the Ocean City Police Department and the Worcester County State’s Attorney’s Office. Numerous other agencies assisted and eight people are still being sought.

Warrants for the 44 suspects, ages 19 to 55, were issued after a six-month investigation into drug dealing, primarily in the southern end of the county.

Suspect Tamar Gilbert Cutler, 27, of Pocomoke, was one of several people arrested in June 2010 as part of then- State’s Attorney Joel Todd’s initiative, Take Pride in Berlin, to rid Berlin of drug dealers. He was charged with possession of cocaine, possession of cocaine with the intent to distribute it and distribution of cocaine.

Those charges were placed on the stet, or inactive docket, but Oglesby told Groton that they will be removed. He is scheduled to be tried on those old charges Sept. 15. Two additional charges of possessing and distributing crack cocaine have also been removed from the stet docket and are scheduled for trial that day.

Oglesby said Cutler had a violent history and a considerable drug history. He asked for Cutler to be denied bond.


“I’d like to have bond re-established,” Cutler said to the judge.

“I don’t see why bond would not be issued for a drug case,” Groton said. “I believe you’re entitled to bond.”

He then set bond at $300,000.

Alleged drug dealer Dawn Rochelle Hudson, 52, of Snow Hill, told the judge she had a job pending in patient care. She was supposed to start work this week, but her employment depends on a background check. She was charged with distribution of crack cocaine and conspiracy to distribute crack cocaine.

Groton left Hudson’s bond at $25,000.


One after another, more suspects appeared before the judge, Oglesby would relate their criminal histories and the judge would decide on their bond. Additional bond hearings were held Tuesday.

Among those arrested in the drug roundup were Joshua Handy Pitts, 43, of Snow Hill; John Donzell Ginn, 42, of Snow Hill; Clinton Waters, 38, of Salisbury; Honnis Webster Cane, 40, of Pocomoke and Broadus Lorenzo Mason, 32, of Pocomoke.

This investigation is continuing and the following individuals are still wanted by the Worcester County Sheriff’s Office: Jeremy Lonnel Fitch and Gerry Marshall Laws of Pocomoke, Travis Antonio Bowen, Terrell Maurice Holley, Larry James Davis and Jonathon Purnell of Snow Hill, Torrance Demar Davis of Horntown, Va. and Kelvin Knock of New Church, Va.

Source; http://www.oceancitytoday.net/news/2011-08-05/Front_Page/Massive_arrests_for_drug_violations_in_county.html

CVS Fined For Selling Meth Ingredient

CVS Pharmacy, the largest retail drug store chain in the nation, agreed to pay $77.6 million in fines for unlawfully selling pseudoephedrine to criminals who made methamphetamine, the U.S. attorney's office in Los Angeles announced today.

It's the biggest civil penalty in the history of the Controlled Substances Act.

CVS' troubles began in mid-2007, when Mexico banned the sale of pseudoephedrine.

Los Angeles County soon saw a spike in sales of cold and cough remedies that contained the ingredient used to make the often addictive methamphetamine street drug.

Criminals were turning to CVS to buy the products because the chain, unlike others, allowed customers to make repeated purchases that exceeded the federal daily and monthly limits. The criminals inundated stores in the Los Angeles area and Nevada, buying cough and cold remedies that contained the key ingredient, sometimes wiping out store shelves, authorities said.

They also noted that there were sales violations at CVS stores in more than 20 states.
"This case shows what happens when companies fail to follow their ethical and legal responsibilities," U.S. Attorney Andre Birotte Jr. said in a statement. "CVS knew it had a duty to prevent methamphetamine trafficking, but it failed to take steps to control the sale of a regulated drug used by methamphetamine cooks as an essential ingredient for their poisonous stew."

Authorities said that CVS eventually cracked down and changed its sale practices, but only after learning that federal investigators were probing the matter.
The problem, authorities said, was that CVS in 2007 implemented an "electronic logbook system" to record sales of pseudoephedrine sales, but it failed to prevent multiple purchases by an individual on the same day.

As part of the historical settlement, the government has agreed not to pursue criminal charges. CVS has agreed to pay $75 million in fines by Friday and $2.6 million in profits from sales within 30 days.

In a statement issued today, Thomas M. Ryan, chairman and CEO of CVS Caremark, the parent company, said: "We are announcing today that we have resolved this issue, which unfortunately resulted from a breakdown in CVS Pharmacy's normally high management and oversight standards.

"While this lapse occurred in 2007 and 2008 and has been addressed, it was an unacceptable breach of the company's policies and was totally inconsistent with our values."
www.aolnews.com

Sentences Given To Four In Accomack County Circuit Court

Accomack County Commonwealths Attorney Gary Agar reports the following cases were heard in Accomack County Circuit Court:

Bruce Meilhammer, 18 of Chincoteague, was sentenced to 90 days imprisonment, suspended but time served, and restitution for 3 counts of grand larceny.

Kerwin Mears, 25 of Accomac, was sentenced to 3 years imprisonment for a second offense of possession of cocaine and marijuana with intent to distribute.

Kenneth Simpkins, Jr., 26 of Greenbush, was sentenced to one year and three months imprisonment for distribution of cocaine.

Bruce Johnson, 52 of Mappsville, was sentenced to three years imprisonment for possession of cocaine. Johnson was also reimposed a suspended sentenced of one year for possession of cocaine.
www.shoredailynews.com

Two Virginia Men Arrested In Delaware For Marijuana

BRIDGEVILLE — Two Virginia men were arrested on trafficking charges Thursday when Bridgeville police stopped their car for a traffic violation and found 10 pounds of marijuana in the trunk.

Jerome M. Middlebrook, 35, of Virginia Beach, and Antwon L. Robinson, 34, of Norfolk, were charged with possession of marijuana, possession with intent to deliver marijuana, trafficking marijuana, maintaining a vehicle for controlled substances, possession of drug paraphernalia and conspiracy, police said.

The men were stopped for following too closely and speeding on U.S. 13, north of Del. 18.

Police said that during the stop, officers noticed the smell of burnt marijuana coming from the car. A further search uncovered 10 pounds of marijuana in the trunk, police said.

Middlebrook, who was also charged with the two traffic offenses, is being held in the Sussex Correctional Institution in lieu of $19,000 bail. Robinson is jailed on $18,250 secured bail.

www.delmarvanow.com

Federal Grand Jury Indicts 15 In Connection With Gang

Correctional officer among those accused of working for Black Guerrilla Family

A Jessup correctional officer was arrested Tuesday morning on federal drug charges, revealing a sweeping effort to wipe out one of Maryland's most notorious gangs through related racketeering indictments.

Alicia Simmons, 34, is accused of smuggling cell phones and heroin into prison for incarcerated members of the powerful Black Guerrilla Family, which court documents say has used such connections for years to live luxuriously behind bars and maintain mafioso-type control of its widespread criminal organization.

Simmons is the fifth Maryland prison guard implicated in the far-reaching scheme, which goes back to 2006 and includes a total of 37 defendants charged since last year.

But court papers unsealed Tuesday after Simmons' arrest show that 14 BGF members also face fresh racketeering charges from a new federal indictment returned June 23. That means each of the alleged gang members could be held responsible for their comrades' crimes if convicted.

This is the most powerful tool we have in our federal toolbox to prosecute" criminal organizations, Maryland U.S. Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein said Tuesday during a news conference to announce the charges.

His office has already used racketeering laws to prosecute local members of the Bloods, Latin Kings and MS-13 gangs en masse, "And today," Rosenstein said, "we add Black Guerrilla Family to that list."

The case was first highlighted in April 2009, when a federal indictment and related court papers outlined a surprisingly good life being led by BGF members serving terms in Maryland prisons. With the help of corrupt officers, they feasted on fresh salmon and shrimp, swilled Grey Goose vodka and smoked pricey cigars, while using contraband cell phones to order assaults, arrange drug dealings and run day-to-day gang operations.

The 23-page indictment unsealed Tuesday supersedes last year's version and builds on it. It describes the BGF as a sophisticated paramilitary operation that kept a "treasury," made motivational T-shirts (slogan: "Revolution is the Only Solution"), held meetings in Druid Hill Park, developed a gang manual, conducted counter-surveillance on law-enforcement agents and paid off prison workers like Simmons with cash and debit cards.

The four Maryland prison guards charged in last year's indictment have all pleaded guilty to drug conspiracy. And all but one of them have been sentenced, receiving federal prison terms between 12 and 24 months.

Two other Maryland guards were sentenced within the past year for doing BGF's bidding in unrelated cases. Lynae Chapman received two years in state prison last month after pleading guilty to supplying drugs and a cell phone to her boyfriend, an alleged BGF member in the Baltimore City Detention Center. And officer Fonda White was sentenced to six months in federal prison for extorting "protection money" from prisoners and their relatives with the help of her locked-up lover, a BGF member.

Maryland Correction Commissioner J. Michael Stouffer acknowledged Tuesday that the BGF has been a "negative influence" within the state's prisons for a long time, adding that the recent investigation and indictments are part of a clamping-down on both inmates and crooked staff.

The Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services has added cell-phone-sniffing dogs and body-orifice scanners to help keep contraband out, improved its gang intelligence efforts and adopted new regulations that subject potential employees to expanded background checks.

"Today's indictments show that developing our intelligence capabilities has become a top priority in the last three years," DPSCS Secretary Gary D. Maynard said in a statement. "They also serve notice to those employees who would break the law, that you will be caught. We're working more effectively with law enforcement on everything from gang issues to contraband interdiction on a daily basis."

Tuesday's indictment culminates nearly two years of collaboration by state and federal authorities who used wiretaps, surveillance and countless man-hours to target the BGF. Baltimore assistant state's attorneys and assistant U.S. attorneys worked together with city police, Drug Enforcement Administration agents and corrections officials to bring the case together.

"It has to be a comprehensive strategy when it comes to dealing with gangs in our community," Baltimore State's Attorney Patricia C. Jessamy said during the news conference.

Maryland beefed up its anti-gang statute during the past legislative session, but the state doesn't have a racketeering law and often relies on the federal statutes for these cases. And Rosenstein has made dismantling gangs a focus, hiring three prosecutors last year dedicated solely to prosecuting gang members.

According to Tuesday's unsealed indictment, the BGF — also known as the "Black Vanguard," "Black Family" or just the "Family" — was founded in California in the 1960s and infiltrated Maryland's prison system roughly 30 years later (factions here tend to spell "Guerrilla" with two Rs, while others use one). Today, it's considered among the most powerful gangs in the state.

Its leaders, known as the "Supreme Bush," are organized into a "strict rank structure," according to the indictment, and they oversee similar "Bubble Regimes" within Baltimore neighborhoods and state prisons. Members must follow a code of behavior or risk physical violence, and they're expected to recruit new "seed" members to keep the gang alive, while furthering its criminal activities.

The superseding indictment covers activity going back to 2006, and includes claims of narcotics trafficking, robbery, extortion, bribery, witness intimidation and money laundering through the use of pre-paid debit cards.

Among those charged are the gang's alleged local leader, a 41-year-old named Eric Brown, who wrote the BGF handbook, entitled "Empower Black Families;" and Todd Duncan, 36, who worked for the Baltimore nonprofit Communities Organized to Improve Life Inc. while allegedly running much of Baltimore's BGF activities.

Brown is accused of ordering an assault on a BGF member behind in debt payments, handling illegal funds, and arranging for contraband to be smuggled into prison. Duncan is accused of selling sub-par heroin that had to be cut with better stuff to "improve the marketability."

Other defendants include Rainbow Williams, 31, who's accused of dealing drugs and arranging a meeting of 100 BGF members in Druid Hill Park last year; husband-and-wife team Cassandra Adams, 49, and Kevin Glasscho, 47; and Ray Olivis, 57; Deitra Davenport,39; Randolph Edison, 52; Zachary Norman, 53; Kimberly McIntosh, 41; Duconze Chambers, 36; Davon McFadden, 24; James Harried, 47; and Erik Ushry, 26.

All of the defendants, including Simmons, live in the city or in Baltimore County, and they're all charged with conspiracy to distribute heroin. Everyone but Simmons is charged with racketeering.

Some defendants are also charged with money laundering, using a gun to commit a robbery, and illegal possession of ammunition and a gun.

They face a maximum of life in prison on the racketeering and drug conspiracy charges.

"It does not matter if you wear the colors of a gang or a badge of gold," Ava Cooper-Davis, special agent in charge of the DEA, said during the news conference Tuesday. "If you break the law or try to destroy our communities, we will go after you."

www.baltimoresun.com