FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT
AUSA VICKIE E. LEDUC or
MARCIA MURPHY at 410-209-4885
December 11, 2009
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
ANNAPOLIS CRACK DEALER SENTENCED TO OVER 24 YEARS IN PRISON
Baltimore, Maryland - U.S. District Judge J. Frederick Motz sentenced Michael Powell, age 31, of Glen Burnie, to 292 months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for conspiracy to distribute crack cocaine, announced United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein. Judge Motz enhanced Powell’s sentence upon finding that he was a career criminal based on two felony assault convictions.
According to Powell’s guilty plea, between at least 2004 and August, 2008, Powell, his brother Santino Tubaya, and others, distributed crack cocaine in the Annapolis, Maryland area. Specifically, during this time, Powell and Tubaya purchased over 9 pounds of cocaine powder and then converted the powder into crack cocaine, which was then broken down into smaller quantities and distributed by Tubaya and other individuals for sale in the Clay Street, Annapolis Gardens, and Newtowne areas around Annapolis. During the course of the conspiracy, law enforcement recovered crack cocaine from Powell and his co-conspirators, including 232 grams of crack cocaine seized from Tubaya and others during the execution of a search warrant at a residence on Betsy Court in Annapolis and vehicles parked at that location. On July 3, 2007, Powell was parked in the 200 block of Croll Drive in Annapolis, Maryland. When uniformed police officers approached his truck, Powell ran. After a police dog detected narcotics in Powell’s truck, the truck was searched and officers recovered 83 grams of crack cocaine and $3000. On February 29, 2008, Powell parked his car on West Street in Annapolis. After another police dog detected narcotics in Powell’s car, the car was searched and the officers recovered 35.6 grams of crack cocaine.
Santino Tubaya, age 24, of Annapolis, Maryland, was sentenced to 14 years in prison on November 23, 2009.
United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein thanked the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Annapolis Police Department, Baltimore City Police Department and the Anne Arundel County Police Department for their investigative work and commended Assistant United States Attorney Charles J. Peters, who prosecuted the case.