‘Wick Squad’ Drug Organization Members In West Baltimore Indicted: Maryland AG

9 members and associates of an alleged West Baltimore drug trafficking group have been indicted on a myriad of drug and weapons fees, the Maryland Lawyer’s Normal Workplace introduced on Monday morning.

Lawyer Normal Anthony Brown mentioned that following a long-term investigation into trafficking all through the area, the “Wick Squad,” which operated within the 2500 block of Edmondson Avenue in Baltimore, has been damaged up.

Fees in a number of indictments embrace:

• Unlawful possession of firearms;
• Distribution of fentanyl;
• Distribution of cocaine.

In April final yr, the AG’s workplace and Baltimore Police Division launched their investigation into the Wick Squad, together with undercover drug purchases of fentanyl, leading to a number of warrants that led to the seizure of 11 firearms and huge quantities of managed harmful substances (CDS), ammunition, and packaging materials.

“With these indictments, 9 violent criminals can now not pose a menace to public security and disrupt the communities wherein they operated,” Brown mentioned. “This case represents only the start of our plan to strategically goal organized crime and scale back drug trafficking and gun violence.”

• Jermaud Harris, 34, of Baltimore, is charged in a 40-count indictment, together with fees of unlawful possession of a regulated firearm with a disqualifying conviction, distribution of Fentanyl, and possession of a firearm with a nexus to a drug trafficking crime. Harris is being held with out bail and has a trial date in Could 2023.
• Dernell Faulkner, 33, of Baltimore, is charged in a 34-count indictment, together with fees of distribution of fentanyl and unlawful possession of ammunition. Faulkner has a trial date in Could 2023.
• Jermal Thompson, 32, of Baltimore, is charged in an eight-count indictment, together with fees of possession of a firearm with a nexus to a drug trafficking crime and possession with intent to distribute cocaine. Thompson has a trial date in Could 2023.
• Tevin Holmes, 31, of Baltimore, is charged in a seven-count indictment, together with fees of unlawful possession of a regulated firearm and distribution of cocaine. Holmes is being held with out bail and has an arraignment date in February 2023.
• Justin Gregory, 30, of Baltimore, is charged in an eight-count indictment, together with fees of conspiracy to distribute managed harmful substances, possession with intent to distribute CDS, unlawful possession of ammunition, and possession of CDS manufacturing tools. Gregory has a trial date in Could 2023.
• Devon McKoy, 31, of Lynchburg, Virginia, is charged in a two-count indictment, together with a cost of possession with intent to distribute cocaine. McKoy is being held with out bail and has a trial date in Could 2023.

Along with the above-listed indictments, three instances had been charged earlier in 2022 whereas the broader investigation was nonetheless ongoing. All three of these instances have already resulted in convictions:

• On Dec. 6, 2022, Jerome Lewis, 35, of Baltimore, pleaded responsible to unlawful possession of a regulated firearm with a disqualifying conviction and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl. Lewis was sentenced to 12 years in jail, suspending all however 5 years to be served with out parole. Upon his launch from jail, he shall be on three years of supervised probation.
• On Dec. 6, 2022, Arthur Beard, 29, of Baltimore, pleaded responsible to a loaded handgun on an individual and possession of CDS. Beard was sentenced to 4 years in jail, with all however three years suspended adopted by two years of supervised probation.
• On Dec. 8, 2022, James Jones, 29, of Baltimore, pleaded responsible to a loaded handgun on an individual and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl. Jones was sentenced to twenty years in jail with all however three years suspended. Upon his launch, he’ll serve three years of supervised probation.

“That is an instance of our Group Violence Discount Technique in motion,” Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott mentioned.

“Imprisonment shouldn’t be a primary resort, but when individuals determine that they will deny the alternatives on the desk and proceed down the trail of crime and violence, we’re going to maintain them accountable with swift, sure, and legit penalties” 

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