Aberdeen Drug Felon Exiled to 15 Years in Prison For Drug Trafficking in Harford County

Baltimore, Maryland - U.S. District Judge Benson Everett Legg sentenced Jarian Ricks, a/k/a “Bigga Bills,” a/k/a “Biggs,”age 32, of Aberdeen, Maryland, today to 15 years in prison followed by nine years of supervised release for conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute cocaine, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Judge Legg enhanced Ricks’s mandatory sentence upon finding that he has a prior drug conviction.

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein; Chief Henry Trabert of the Aberdeen Police Department; Harford County Sheriff L. Jesse Bane; Colonel Marcus L. Brown, Superintendent of the Maryland State Police; Chief Teresa Walter of the Havre de Grace Police Department; and Harford County State’s Attorney Joseph I. Cassilly.

According to his plea agreement, law enforcement agents from the Harford County Task Force observed Ricks traveling to the same location in New York City every few days where he would purchase cocaine. Ricks made 11 resupply trips from January to March 2009, each time purchasing 300 grams of powder cocaine, for a total of approximately 3.3 kilograms. Ricks would return from New York City to Maryland late at night and visit three locations in Aberdeen: 314 Stevens Circle, Apt. 1B; 31 Roosevelt Apt. B2; and 1410 Perrywood Court, Apt. 202. Ricks used these locations to store drugs and his drug proceeds, and to “cook” the cocaine into crack.

Law enforcement officers learned that Ricks would be making a resupply trip and returning on March 11, 2009. Task Force members arrested Ricks that evening as he returned from New York. Officers executed search warrants at the three locations and seized: drug proceeds of $14,020 from a safe; items commonly used to package and store cocaine, and to manufacture crack cocaine; and a stolen, loaded semi-automatic handgun, ammunition, 80 grams of cutting agent used to increase the volume of powder cocaine, and ecstasy and Percoset pills from a second safe.

United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein commended the Harford County Task Force whose members include the Aberdeen Police Department, the Harford County Sheriff’s Office, the Havre de Grace Police Department and the Harford County State’s Attorney’s Office, for their work in this investigation and prosecution. Mr. Rosenstein thanked Assistant United States Attorney Peter M. Nothstein, who prosecuted the case.