BALTIMORE, MD—A Baltimore man who led a fentanyl trafficking operation has been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison, according to an announcement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland.
U.S. District Judge Ellen L. Hollander sentenced Vincent Edison, 45, for conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and possession of firearms by a prohibited person. Authorities say Edison’s operation distributed large quantities of fentanyl across Maryland.
U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland Kelly O. Hayes announced the sentence alongside Special Agent in Charge Ibrar A. Mian of the DEA’s Washington Division; Secretary Carolyn J. Scruggs of the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services (DPSCS); and Chief Robert McCullough of the Baltimore County Police Department (BCPD).
According to his guilty plea, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) identified Edison in 2022 as the leader of a “drug shop” operating on Winchester and North Dukeland Streets in West Baltimore. For several months, Edison’s operation allegedly sold fentanyl capsules daily to numerous individuals, including undercover officers, for 10 to 12 hours a day.
The investigation revealed text messages from Edison to street dealers, instructing them to open his drug shop by 7 a.m. or face a cut in pay. Law enforcement also uncovered messages from Edison terminating dealers and collecting drug sale proceeds.
Edison’s customer base extended beyond Baltimore. On Dec. 7, 2022, investigators observed Edison deliver a black plastic bag to one of his dealers at the street shop. They noted a Chevy registered to an individual from Washington County, Maryland, parked nearby. After the customer left the drug shop, DEA notified local authorities, who stopped and searched the Chevy in Washington County, recovering 500 gel caps of fentanyl weighing a total of 263 grams in a black plastic bag.
As the investigation continued, authorities identified Edison’s stash location in Baltimore County, which was used to prepare fentanyl for distribution. Investigators observed Edison frequently visiting this location daily, believing he obtained drugs that he then delivered to his street-level dealers in black plastic bags. On Dec. 11, investigators used a covert camera to observe Edison leaving the stash location with a black plastic bag, driving to the street shop, and delivering the bag to his dealers, after which drug activity at the shop increased.
On Jan. 27, 2023, investigators executed search warrants at Edison’s Baltimore City residence and his Baltimore County stash location. At his residence, where Edison was present, law enforcement recovered five firearms, including an AR-style rifle, a 12-gauge shotgun, and three loaded semi-automatic handguns. They also found 70 grams of fentanyl, approximately $150,000 worth of luxury jewelry, and about $90,805 in cash.
At the stash location, investigators discovered a fentanyl lab containing hundreds of capsules, 22 Cap-M-Quick capsule fillers, a digital scale, numerous latex gloves, and paraphernalia for packaging fentanyl. They also recovered 133.28 grams of fentanyl powder from a clear bag and 400 capsules of fentanyl powder, totaling 307 grams.
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