AUSA VICKIE E. LEDUC at 410-209-4885

December 5, 2006

TWO PLEAD GUILTY DURING TRIAL IN MULTI-STATE DRUG TRAFFICKING SCHEME

New Jersey Correctional Officer Is One of 30 Defendants Convicted in Scheme

Greenbelt, Maryland - Ending a federal jury trial that began on November 28, 2006, Milton Earl Boyd, also known as Ramesh Kumar, age 40, of Lumberton, New Jersey, pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to distribute 5 kilograms or more of cocaine in connection with a large drug trafficking enterprise operating in Maryland, the District of Columbia, New York and elsewhere, announced United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein. Co-defendant Edward Barber, age 42, of the Bronx, New York, pleaded guilty during the trial on December 2, 2006 to the same charge.

According to the statement of facts provided to the court as part of their plea agreements, from at least January 2004 through May 8, 2004, Boyd, Barber, Luis Mangual, Jr. and others conspired to distribute cocaine. Between February and April 26, 2004, Boyd acted as a courier for Barber, transporting multiple kilograms of cocaine to Mangual in Maryland and Washington, D.C. During one delivery on April 26, 2004, agents observed Boyd hand Mangual a box containing 7 kilograms of cocaine, which Mangual placed inside his residence. A review of telephone records established that Boyd had made previous deliveries in March and April 2004.

Boyd, who was a New Jersey correctional officer for 19 years, and Barber, are the last of 30 defendants convicted in this multistate drug trafficking scheme. According to evidence presented during the trials and guilty pleas of the other 28 defendants, the conspiracy lasted from January 1997 to June 2004 to distribute cocaine, heroin and cocaine base, with kilogram quantities of cocaine being imported from New York, California, Wyoming, Florida, Texas and Mexico. During the course of the investigation over 20 kilograms of cocaine and over 3 kilograms of heroin were seized. Luis Mangual, Jr., age 46, of Washington, D.C., pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute more than 150 kilograms of cocaine and more than 1.5 kilograms of crack cocaine and was sentenced to life in prison. Other co-defendants have been sentenced to between 135 months and life in prison and several others are awaiting sentencing.

Barber and Boyd face a minimum sentence of 10 years and a maximum sentence of life, followed by five years of supervised release and a fine of not more than $4 million. U.S. District Court Judge Roger W. Titus has scheduled sentencing for March 29, 2007.

United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein praised the investigative work performed by the agencies in this Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force case, including the Prince George’s and Montgomery County Police Departments; U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement; Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation; the Washington-Baltimore High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area task force; Bureau of Customs and Border Protection; Baltimore City, Baltimore County and Howard County Police Departments; and the Maryland State Police. Mr. Rosenstein also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Deborah A. Johnston and Bonnie S. Greenberg, who are prosecuting the case.