United States Drug Enforcement Administration

WASHINGTON – Sheldon Marbley, 44, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 20 years in prison on five felony counts for running a drug trafficking operation in the Southwest section of the District that caused the deaths of two people and caused serious bodily injury to another two people.

In his plea agreement, Marbley acknowledged to the Court that he caused at least 13 opioid overdoses, two of which resulted in deaths, in January 2022, near the area of First and O Streets near Nationals Park in Southwest Washington D.C.

The sentence was announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, Special Agent in Charge Jarod A. Forget of the Washington Division of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and Chief Pamela A. Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

“Fentanyl trafficking kills,” said U.S. Attorney Graves. “This defendant sold a dangerous poison that caused the deaths of two victims and the near-fatal overdoses of more than 10 others. He then knowingly continued to sell this poison to others. This 20-year sentence not only sends a message to other drug peddlers, it puts a full stop to this trafficker’s career.”   

 “The DEA and the Metropolitan Police Department will continue to work side by side with the United States Attorney’s Office to hold criminals like Mr. Marbley accountable for pushing dangerous poisons like fentanyl throughout our area,” said SAC Forget of the DEA.  “Today’s sentence sends a clear message to criminals who have no regard for human lives in our communities.”

According to evidence presented in court, Marbley sold narcotics to L.L., 69, and G.H., 72, both of whom subsequently died from consuming the fentanyl and cocaine that Marbley provided. Marbley also admitted that he distributed narcotics to another male and female, and that they suffered serious bodily injury as a result of consuming the fentanyl and cocaine that Marbley provided.

Marbley pleaded guilty in the District of Columbia on May 23, 2023, to one count of conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and cocaine, two counts of unlawful distribution of fentanyl and cocaine resulting in serious bodily injury, and two counts of unlawful distribution of fentanyl and cocaine resulting in death.

As part of his plea agreement, Marbley acknowledged that on the morning of January 28, 2022, and in the days thereafter, Emergency Medical Service (EMS) and MPD officers responded to at least 13 fatal and non-fatal opioid overdoses located near the area of First and O Streets, SW. Marbley admitted that, on that morning, he had distributed fentanyl and cocaine from the driver’s seat of a Mazda sedan in Southwest. Closed-circuit video footage captured that morning depicts numerous individuals approaching the front driver’s side of the Mazda and appearing to engage in narcotics purchases. 

Despite being aware of the mass overdose event on January 28, 2022, Marbley then went to stay at the residence of another drug user and customer, where he continued to sell narcotics until he was arrested on March 23, 2022.

In addition to the prison term, U.S. District Court Judge Christopher R. Cooper ordered Marbley to serve three years of supervised release.

This case was investigated by the DEA Washington Division and the MPD. It was prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah J. Rasalam and Assistant U.S. Attorney David T. Henek of the Violence Reduction and Trafficking Offenses Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Andy Wang.