Drug Dealer Pleads Guilty to Heroin Distribution and Admits That Heroin He Distributed Resulted in a Fatal Overdose

Greenbelt, Maryland – Edwin Kerry Smith, age 43, of Silver Spring, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance and admitted that heroin he distributed to one victim resulted in the victim’s fatal overdose.   

The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge Jarod Forget of the Drug Enforcement Administration - Washington Division; Chief Marcus Jones of the Montgomery County Police Department; Chief Malik Aziz of the Prince George’s County Police Department; and Chief Robert J. Contee III of the Metropolitan Police Department.

According to his guilty plea, Smith was arrested on March 11, 2021 in Maryland for attempting to distribute four ounces of heroin. Smith committed this offense while on pretrial supervision on narcotics charges in the Circuit Court for Montgomery County.

As part of his guilty plea, Smith also admitted that on August 22, 2019 he distributed heroin to Victim A, who subsequently ingested the heroin provided by Smith, overdosed and died. At the scene of Victim A’s death, law enforcement discovered a ziplock bag containing 1.33 grams of heroin and a small plastic bag containing .34 grams of cocaine. According to an autopsy report from the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner for the State of Maryland, Victim A died of morphine and quetiapine intoxication. The last outgoing communication on Victim A’s phone was a text to order narcotics from Smith and according to historical cell site data, Smith and Victim A met on August 22, 2019 in the same location where Victim A’s body was found. Approximately one month earlier, Smith was arrested near that same location with two bags of heroin, totaling 21.02 grams.

Smith and the government have agreed that, if the Court accepts the plea agreement, Smith will be sentenced to eight years in federal prison.  U.S. District Judge Theodore D. Chuang has scheduled sentencing for February 28, 2022 at 2 p.m. 

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the DEA, Montgomery County Police Department, the Prince George’s County Police Department, and the Washington Metro Police Department for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Caitlin R. Cottingham, who is prosecuting the case.

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