The core issue in most of the current crime problems in Maryland is the use and sale of illegal narcotics. The U.S. Attorney’s Office continues to focus on the most violent drug organizations in Maryland, with special attention to Baltimore City and Prince George’s County, by dismantling violent drug organizations that are national and international in scope. Working closely with federal, state and local police and prosecutors, federal prosecution of these violent drug organizations result in longer sentences without parole

In addition to the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) that has long been successful in Maryland, the U.S. Attorney’s Office participates in the Washington-Baltimore High Intensity Drug Trafficking Task Force (HIDTA), which combines all levels of law enforcement from Baltimore to Washington to Northern Virginia ,to combat the importation and distribution of illegal drugs in that corridor.

Through the "Weed & Seed" initiatives, Project Safe Neighborhoods and the LEC umbrella, federal law enforcement remains committed to using its resources to assist local and state agencies in combating violent crime through the aggressive prosecution of individuals who use a firearm when committing a violent crime such as bank robberies, kidnapping, commercial armed robberies, and carjackings.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office regularly confers with local prosecutors to ascertain whether it is more advantageous to prosecute certain individuals and organizations under federal laws and penalties. Federal and state prosecutors together review selected cases where jurisdiction is shared to determine the greatest benefit for the community. Sometimes that means proceeding in state court, sometimes in the federal, and sometimes, in cases with multiple defendants, both venues are pursued. The objective is to determine which option provides the best use of resources to the maximum benefit to the safety of the community.