Baltimore to Berkeley County heroin ring dismantled by federal indictment

MARTINSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – A drug distribution network that caused large amounts of heroin to be transported from Baltimore to Berkeley County has been dismantled after the federal indictment of eighteen people, United States Attorney William J. Ihlenfeld, II, announced this morning.

Steven Robinson, 31, of Baltimore, Maryland, is alleged to have orchestrated a drug trafficking operation in which significant quantities of heroin were moved from Maryland to West Virginia and then redistributed.  Terrard Ansor, 25, also of Baltimore, and Brittany Brooks, 28, of Randallstown, Pennsylvania, are alleged to have provided valuable assistance to Robinson in his operation of the enterprise, which began in August 2015 and ended last week.  The fifteen other individuals named in the indictment assisted by redistributing the heroin, serving as couriers of heroin and currency, renting vehicles for couriers, or laundering monetary proceeds.  Sophisticated investigative techniques were utilized by investigators to uncover the communication and travel patterns of those involved.
 
"Baltimore continues to be the greatest source of heroin and other illicit drugs for the Eastern Panhandle and anytime that we're able to identify and indict suppliers from that region, it's a good day for West Virginia," said U.S. Attorney Ihlenfeld.  "We will continue to protect and defend our borders against out-of-state drug dealers with every tool available."
 
"These arrests demonstrate, once again, the critical role that task forces play in combating heroin trafficking and dismantling the criminal enterprises that attempt to take root in our communities,” said Special Agent in Charge Robert Johnson of the FBI’s Pittsburgh Field Office. “The FBI will continue to work with our local, state, and federal partners on the Eastern Panhandle Safe Streets Task Force to stop the flow of illegal drugs into the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia and dismantle the criminal enterprises that facilitate the flow.   We are grateful to our law enforcement partners who worked with us throughout this investigation and who are equally committed to keeping our neighborhoods safe.”
 
Since the time that the indictment was returned, five defendants have been taken into custody, six defendants were already incarcerated on unrelated charges, and four defendants have not yet been located, including:

Terrard Ansor, 25, of Baltimore, Maryland;
Stephanie Edmonds, 30, of Baltimore, Maryland;
Brandon French, 33, of Charles Town, West Virginia;

Anyone with information on the whereabouts of the aforementioned individuals is encouraged to contact the Federal Bureau of Investigation at (412) 432-4000.
 
Assistant U.S. Attorney Anna Krasinski and Special Assistant United States Attorney Stephanie Taylor, also of the Berkeley County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, are prosecuting the case on behalf of the government. The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Eastern Panhandle Drug and Violent Crime Task Force, a HIDTA-Funded initiative, is investigating.
 
Ihlenfeld commended the efforts of all of the law enforcement officers involved in the investigation as well as the arrest operation.
 
An indictment is merely an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.