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Press Release

Metro Area Drug Dealer Sentenced To Over 10 Years In Prison

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Maryland

Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge James K. Bredar sentenced Franklin Harold Barney, age 31, of Laurel, Maryland, today to 121 months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for conspiracy to distribute crack cocaine, powder cocaine, heroin, and phencyclidine (PCP). Judge Bredar also entered an order requiring that Barney forfeit three handguns and $105,880 in cash seized during the investigation.

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein; Assistant Special Agent in Charge Gary Tuggle of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Baltimore District Office; Special Agent in Charge Stephen E. Vogt of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; Anne Arundel County Police Chief Kevin Davis; Howard County Police Chief William McMahon; Chief Mark A. Magaw of the Prince George’s County Police Department; and Chief Richard McLaughlin of the Laurel Police Department.

According to Barney’s plea agreement, during July, 2010, Barney was identified as a large-scale narcotics trafficker in the Anne Arundel, Howard and Prince George’s County areas. Based on that information, from August 2010 through May 2011, a confidential source and an undercover officer made a series of crack cocaine purchases from both Barney and Joseph Padro Hill. During one of these transactions, the source met Barney at an apartment in Laurel, where Barney was observed to be cooking crack cocaine, readying it for distribution. John Anderson, whose apartment it was, was also present.

Beginning in April, 2011, law enforcement obtained authorization to wiretap the phones used by Barney, Hill and Anderson. Based on those intercepted communications, surveillance of Barney’s activities, and search warrants executed at Barney’s home, Barney and the other members of the conspiracy were responsible for distributing at least 280 grams of crack cocaine, at least five kilograms of powder cocaine, and at least one kilogram each of heroin and PCP.

Joseph Padro Hill, age 31, and John Anderson, age 72, both of Laurel, were previously sentenced to two years in prison and two months in prison, respectively.

United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein praised the DEA, FBI Anne Arundel, Howard and Prince George’s County Police Departments and the Laurel Police Department for their work in the investigation. Mr. Rosenstein thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Brooke Carey, who prosecuted this Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force case.

Updated January 26, 2015