United States Drug Enforcement Administration

BALTIMORE – U.S. District Judge Catherine C. Blake today sentenced Malik Moseley, age 28, of Baltimore, Maryland, to seven years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for being a felon in possession of a firearm. Moseley was charged as part of the federal-state initiative announced in December 2018 to combat the fentanyl crisis in Maryland.

Under this initiative, titled the “Synthetic Opioid Surge,” or “SOS", every arrest involving distribution of fentanyl made by law enforcement in Baltimore is reviewed jointly by the State’s Attorney’s Office for Baltimore City, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office to determine whether the case will be handled in the state or federal system.  The U.S. Attorney’s Office will prosecute more cases involving fentanyl as a result of this new program.  The use of federal resources and statutes, which carry significant terms of imprisonment, is necessary to prosecute those individuals who pose the greatest threat to public safety in distributing lethal doses of fentanyl.

The sentence was announced by Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Washington Field Division, Jesse Fong; United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Commissioner Michael Harrison of the Baltimore Police Department (BPD); and Anne Arundel County Police Chief Tim Altomare.

According to Moseley’s guilty plea, in September and October 2018, members of the Baltimore Police Department conducted two controlled purchases of drugs from Moseley at a residence in the 400 block of Freeman Street in South Baltimore.  Law enforcement officers also conducted covert surveillance outside the residence and observed Moseley and another individual engage in suspected hand-to-hand drug transactions in front of the home.

Based on this information, BPD officers obtained a search warrant for the residence, which they executed on Oct. 17, 2018.  At the time, Moseley had an open arrest warrant from Anne Arundel County, Maryland.  While approaching the residence, the officers observed Moseley standing outside, and they immediately apprehended and arrested him.  In a search of Moseley’s person incident to his arrest, the officers recovered a 9mm semi-automatic pistol, loaded with eight rounds of ammunition; a plastic bag containing nine suboxone strips, and $790 in cash.  Moseley had a previous felony conviction and was therefore prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition.

During the search of the residence, the officers recovered bags containing a total of approximately 47 grams of fentanyl; a bag containing approximately 5 grams of a heroin-fentanyl mixture; drug paraphernalia, including three digital scales with drug residue; razor blades with residue; a glass plate with residue; a pill press with residue; and various drug packaging material.  In addition, law enforcement recovered a gun holster; two remote-control surveillance drones; a home surveillance system with two high-definition cameras; $101 in cash, and $30 in counterfeit currency.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.  Project Safe Neighborhoods is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts.  PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

SAC Fong commented the Baltimore Police Department, and the Anne Arundel County Police Department for their work in the investigation.  SAC Fong  thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Christina A. Hoffman, who prosecuted the case and thanked Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Hann, a cross-designated Baltimore City Assistant State’s Attorney, for his assistance.

###