Eleventh and Final Defendant in Baltimore Drug Trafficking Conspiracy Sentenced to 12 Years in Federal Prison

Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Ellen L. Hollander sentenced Eric Adams, age 43, of Odenton, Maryland today to 12 years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for possession with intent to distribute a kilogram or more of heroin and 500 grams or more of cocaine.

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Assistant Special Agent in Charge Don A. Hibbert of the Drug Enforcement Administration – Baltimore District Office; and Commissioner Michael Harrison of the Baltimore Police Department.

“This case removed 11 drug dealers, a significant quantity of narcotics, and guns from the streets of Baltimore,” said U.S. Attorney Robert K. Hur.  “Disputes between rival drug gangs often lead to shootings and murders in Baltimore City.  We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to remove violent drug dealers from our communities.” 

According to his plea agreement, Adams and co-conspirators Claudis Lassiter and Kevin Murchison stored and processed wholesale quantities of cocaine in an apartment on Whetstone Way in the McHenry Row complex in Baltimore.  Adams and his co-defendants supplied narcotics to others, including co-defendants DeAngelo Keith, Stanley Dunham., and others.  Law enforcement located the apartment after a GPS tracking device was placed on one of Lassiter’s vehicles.

As detailed in Adams’ plea agreement, on May 5, 2017, investigators installed two cameras within the Whetstone apartment.  From May 4, 2017 through May 13, 2017, Adams was captured on video processing narcotics inside the kitchen of the Whetstone apartment on at least five occasions.  On May 11, 2017, investigators observed Adams process narcotics within the Whetstone apartment, then leave, meet with Stanley Dunham, and conduct a suspected drug transaction in Dunham’s vehicle.  Investigators stopped Dunham following this meeting.  Law enforcement located 30 grams of heroin in Dunham’s vehicle, which confirmed the drug transaction. 

According to his plea agreement, on May 13, 2017, Adams brought a large suitcase into the Whetstone apartment and proceeded to process narcotics.  When Adams left the Whetstone apartment, he was arrested and investigators searched the Whetstone apartment.  Law enforcement recovered approximately one kilogram of fentanyl, almost three kilograms of heroin, over two kilograms of cocaine, a twenty-ton kilogram press, and other processing equipment and drug-cutting agents from the apartment.  

Investigators also searched Adams’ residence and recovered in the master bedroom one .38-caliber revolver, loaded with five rounds of ammunition; a 9mm semi-automatic handgun, loaded with sixteen rounds; as well as a receipt, addressed to Eric Adams, for a 5x8x8 interior storage unit.  On May 15, 2017, investigators served a subpoena to the manager of the storage company, who confirmed that Adams was renting storage unit 120.  A short time later, a canine scan was conducted in the storage unit and the canine alerted positive to the presence of narcotics in storage unit 120.  Investigators obtained and executed a search warrant on the storage unit and found another kilogram press, as well as a .22-caliber revolver.            

Adams admitted that it was reasonably foreseeable to him that members of the conspiracy would distribute between three and 10 kilograms of heroin.  Ten co-defendants have also pleaded guilty to their roles in the drug trafficking conspiracy, and were sentenced to between 12 months and 126 months in prison.             

United States Attorney Robert K. Hur praised the DEA and the Baltimore Police Department for their work in the investigation and thanked the Office of the State’s Attorney for Baltimore City for its assistance.  Mr. Hur thanked Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Christine Goo and Assistant U.S. Attorney James T. Wallner, who prosecuted this Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force case.

# # #