Baltimore Drug Dealer Exiled to 10 Years in Federal Prison

Baltimore, Maryland - U.S. District Judge J. Frederick Motz sentenced Hilray Lucas, age 58, of Baltimore, today to 10 years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for possession with intent to distribute five grams or more of crack cocaine, announced United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein.

According to his guilty plea, on August 30, 2007, detectives with the Baltimore Police received information that Hilray Lucas was storing cocaine, heroin and firearms in his apartment in the 6500 block of Brown Avenue in Baltimore. Officers conducted surveillance on the apartment and saw Lucas leave the apartment and drive away. Officers followed, eventually approaching Lucas in his truck, which was stopped at a stop sign. They saw Lucas holding a cell phone in his right hand and a clear plastic baggie, found to contain 13.43 grams of crack cocaine and approximately 6 grams of heroin, in his left hand. Officers recovered a set of keys from Lucas, which included a key for a gun safety lock manufactured for a “Taurus” firearm. When asked about the lock, Lucas told the officers that he didn’t know where the firearm was located.

The next day officers went to Lucas’ apartment. Lucas’ girlfriend answered the door and allowed the officers to search the apartment. She told officers that she used the back bedroom and identified a second bedroom, which was secured with a padlock, as belonging to Lucas. Officers executed a search warrant for the locked bedroom. The keys previously recovered from Lucas unlocked both the apartment door and the padlock on the second bedroom door. Officers recovered from Lucas’ room: $2500; drug paraphernalia; 15 grams of crack cocaine; 2 grams of heroin; one S.M., .44 caliber revolver; one Taurus, .357 caliber revolver, loaded with four rounds of ammunition; and one box of .38 special ammunition containing 46 rounds. The total amount of crack cocaine seized from Lucas was 27.83 grams.

United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein thanked the Baltimore City State’s Attorney Patricia C. Jessamy and Assistant State’s Attorney LaRai Forrest, the Baltimore Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives for their assistance in the investigation and prosecution. Mr. Rosenstein commended Assistant United States Attorney Debra L. Dwyer, who prosecuted the case.