FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACTAUSA VICKIE E. LEDUC or MARCIA MURPHY at 410-209-4885

APRIL 27, 2007

CECIL COUNTY DRUG DEALER SENTENCED TO 15 YEARS IN PRISON

Baltimore, Maryland - U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett sentenced Andre Lamar Ricks, age 26, of Newark, Delaware, today to 15 years in prison followed by five years of supervised release for possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, announced United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein.

According to his guilty plea, between January 2004 and April 2006, Ricks, Lemonte Brown, Larry Brown and Tylon Estep conspired to distribute crack cocaine and powder cocaine in the Winding Brook community in Elkton and in other areas of Cecil County. Recorded conversations between Ricks and his co-conspirators show that Ricks and his co-conspirators arranged for the delivery of over five kilograms of cocaine and 50 grams of crack during the course of the conspiracy.

Additionally, through intercepted calls on Ricks’ cell phone, investigators learned that Ricks was taking a 9mm Berretta semi-automatic handgun to a meeting in Elkton on October 1, 2005 that had been arranged to resolve a dispute with a rival drug trafficking group. When state troopers approached the car Ricks was in, the car sped away and Ricks threw the handgun from the car. Investigators learned where Ricks had thrown the gun and recovered it early the next morning. Ricks kept the Beretta and other firearms at various locations in Winding Brook in order to protect Ricks and his co-conspirators, as well as the crack cocaine they distributed and cash proceeds of the drug trafficking. On October 29, 2005 officers recovered two ounces of cocaine that Estep had hidden in a parked car used by Ricks. In intercepted conversations between Ricks and Estep, Estep described to Ricks where he had placed the cocaine and Ricks described the search of the car by police as Ricks watched from a nearby house.

Lemonte Brown, age 30, of Elkton, Maryland, was sentenced on April 20, 2007 to 135 months in prison for possession with intent to distribute cocaine. Larry Douglas Brown, age 45, of Strausburg, Pennsylvania was sentenced to 25 years in prison for conspiracy to distribute cocaine and crack cocaine. Tylon Gamal Estep, age 28; of Elkton, pleaded guilty to drug charges and is awaiting sentencing.

United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein praised the investigative work performed by the Cecil County Sheriff’s Department, the Maryland State Police, the Elkton Police Department and the Cecil County State’s Attorney’s Office. Mr. Rosenstein commended Assistant U.S. Attorneys John F. Purcell, Jr. and Philip S. Jackson, who are prosecuting the case.