AUSA VICKIE E. LEDUC at 410-209-4885

November 29, 2005

DRUG TRAFFICKER SENTENCED TO 292 MONTHS

BALTIMORE, Maryland - United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein announces that today U.S. District Court Judge J. Frederick Motz sentenced Anthony Chandler, age 27, of Baltimore, to 292 months in prison followed by 5 years of supervised release for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances.

According to the statement of facts presented to the court, from about 2003 until 2004, Chandler was a member of an East Baltimore drug organization called Jigga. Chandler conspired with other members of Jigga, including Jigga’s leader, Darrell Alston, age 42, of Baltimore, to sell heroin and crack cocaine from various locations in the city of Baltimore, including Asquith, Lanvale, Holbrook, Ensor, and Hoffman Streets. During this conspiracy, Chandler and others would distribute drugs to customers, collect money, re-supply the street inventory, operate as look outs, and band together to further the goals of the drug organization. In 2003 and 2004, the Jigga drug organization sold over 30 kilograms of heroin.

Alston was convicted by a federal jury on September 13, 2005 of: conspiracy to distribute drugs, for which he faces a maximum sentence of life imprisonment; possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, for which he faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 5 years consecutive to any period of imprisonment imposed on the other counts; and two counts of witness tampering, for which he faces up to 10 years imprisonment on each count. Alston is scheduled to be sentenced tomorrow, November 30, 2005.

United States Attorney Rosenstein thanked the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Baltimore City Police Department for their investigative work. Mr. Rosenstein commended Assistant United States Attorney Kwame J. Manley, who prosecuted the case.