Baltimore, Maryland – The U.S. Attorney’s Office announced, today, that a federal judge handed down the last of 12 sentences connected to the federal takedown of a drug-trafficking organization (DTO), operating on and around Clay Street in Annapolis, led by FBI Baltimore’s Chesapeake Bay Safe Streets Task Force. This prosecution is in connection with a Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) drug investigation. U.S. District Judge Matthew J. Maddox sentenced the co-conspirators for crimes connected to their roles in the Clay Street DTO.

Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the sentence with Special Agent in Charge Jimmy Paul, FBI Baltimore Field Office, and Anne Colt Leitess, State’s Attorney for Anne Arundel County. Judge Maddox sentenced Maryland co-conspirators:Demarco Watkins, 46, of Baltimore, to 78 months, followed by three years of supervised release, for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances; Larry Adams, 42, of Annapolis, to 70 months, followed by three years of supervised release, for possession of a firearm and ammunition by a prohibited person; Curtis Johnson, 45, of Glen Burnie, to 66 months, followed by five years of supervised release, for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances and possession with intent to distribute controlled substances; Sheldon Wells, 37, of Annapolis, to 63 months, followed by three years of supervised release, for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances; Olando Thompson, 35, of Annapolis, to 54 months, followed by three years of supervised release, for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances and distribution and possession with intent to distribute controlled substances; Abdallah Simms, 48, of Annapolis, to 42 months, followed by four years of supervised release, for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances and distribution and possession with intent to distribute controlled substances; Juan Lamont Johnson, 50, of Annapolis, to 41 months, followed by three years of supervised release, for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances; Rodrick Simms, 43, of Glen Burnie, to 36 months, followed by three years of supervised release, for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances; Tijee Benett, 32, of Annapolis, to 21 months, followed by three years of supervised release, for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances; Wayne Thompson, Jr, 34, of Annapolis, to 10 months, followed by 3 years of supervised release, for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances and possession with intent to distribute controlled substances; Aureon Johnson, 41, of Severn, to four months, followed by three years of supervised release, with the first 4 months to be served on home detention, for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances and possession with intent to distribute controlled substances; and Keo Williams, 29, of Annapolis, to four months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, with the first four months served on home detention, for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances and distribution and possession with intent to distribute controlled substances. According to court documents, investigators used a variety of tools — including subpoenas, search warrants, pen registers, toll data, pole camera footage, physical surveillance, confidential sources, undercover officers, and controlled buys — to investigate the Clay Street DTO. Beginning in June 2024, and continuing into October 2024, investigators received court authorization for a federal wiretap on four cellphones. Through the wiretap, investigators intercepted numerous conversations in which co-conspirators discussed and coordinated drug sales, including a meeting at an Annapolis auto store to complete a drug transaction. Additionally, the wiretap allowed law enforcement to make coordinated traffic stops and execute search warrants after co-conspirators conducted drug-related transactions.

The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF Baltimore comprises agents and officers from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI); Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); the United States Attorney’s Office (USAO) for the District of Maryland; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF); the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA); the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI); the United States Marshals Service (USMS); the Washington/Baltimore HIDTA (W/B HIDTA); the Maryland State Police (MSP); the Baltimore Police Department (BPD); and the Baltimore County Police Department (BCPD) with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland.

U.S. Attorney Hayes commended the FBI and Office of the State’s Attorney for Anne Arundel County for their work in the investigation, along with the FBI national and regional assets, the Annapolis Police Department, Anne Arundel County Police Department, Baltimore Police Department, Anne Arundel County Sheriff’s Office, Maryland State Police, Maryland Army National Guard, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the United States Marshals Service for their valuable assistance. Ms. Hayes also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jonathan S. Tsuei and LaRai Everett who prosecuted the federal case.

For more information about the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, visit justice.gov/usao-md. # # #