United States Drug Enforcement Administration

Salisbury, Md., -- Eric Holbrook, age 41, of Fruitland, Maryland, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court on June 27, 2022, to possession with intent to distribute narcotics and was sentenced to six years imprisonment.

According to his guilty plea, during January and February 2020, Holbrook engaged in the distribution of cocaine in the District of Maryland.  During the investigation into Holbrook’s criminal conduct, investigators intercepted communications of Holbrook and other members of his drug distribution organization (DTO).  Further, surveillance and intercepted communications established that Holbrook received quantities of cocaine from other persons and distributed or participated in the distribution of that cocaine to others.  During January and February 2020, Holbrook discussed cocaine, narcotics, and planned cocaine transactions on numerous occasions.  Participants in the communications referred to cocaine using coded phrases and used numbers to refer to quantities and prices for cocaine. Through these intercepted phone calls along with physical surveillance, investigators learned that Eric Holbrook, Jr.’s CDS (controlled dangerous substances) source of supply (SOS) was Shakoor Stevenson.

On February 4, 2020, Holbrook arranged to receive a quantity of cocaine from supplier, Shakoor Stevenson.  On that day, Holbrook and his associates engaged in voice and text communications indicating that he was expecting to receive a quantity of cocaine and would make preparations to store the cocaine.  Later that day, Holbrook received the cocaine at his Fruitland, Maryland residence and arranged for the cocaine to be transported to a Salisbury, Maryland apartment stash location that he used to store narcotics. 

As stated in his guilty plea, investigators executed a search warrant at the Salisbury, Maryland apartment where law enforcement recovered over two kilograms of cocaine.  Holbrook agrees that he knowingly possessed the cocaine with intent to distribute it to other individuals and that he possessed the cocaine with other members of the organization and aided and abetted in the possession of cocaine with other individuals in the organization.

U.S. District Judge Stephanie A. Gallagher accepted a sentencing recommendation set forth in the plea agreement and sentenced the defendant to 72 months imprisonment immediately following the guilty plea. 

Shakoor Stevenson, age 39, of Salisbury, Maryland, Christopher Aaron Layton, age 28, of Salisbury, Maryland, and Zy’Sean Ramere Holbrook, age 23, of Salisbury, Maryland have pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute narcotics charges in U.S. District Court.  Shakoor Stevenson and Zy’Sean Holbrook have received sentences of 60 months imprisonment each.  Christopher Layton is scheduled for sentencing on September 1, 2022.   

The DEA Washington Division commends the DEA Salisbury Post of Duty, the Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office, the Maryland State Police, the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland, the Wicomico County State’s Attorney’s Office, the Worcester County State’s Attorney’s Office, the Salisbury Police Department, the Fruitland Police Department, and the Worcester County Criminal Enforcement Team (CET) for their work in the investigation and prosecution.

##