Temple Hills Drug Dealer Sentenced to 27 Years in Prison
Distributed at Least Three Kilograms of PCP over the Course of the Drug Conspiracy

GREENBELT, MD—U.S. District Judge Roger W. Titus sentenced Samuel Braxton, age 44, of Temple Hills, Maryland, today to 27 years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute phencyclidine (PCP), crack cocaine, and heroin. Judge Titus found that Braxton was a career offender based on two previous drug convictions.

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein; Special Agent in Charge Karl C. Colder of the Drug Enforcement Administration-Washington Field Division; Special Agent in Charge Stephen E. Vogt of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; Chief Cathy L. Lanier of the Metropolitan Police; and Chief Mark A. Magaw of the Prince George’s County Police Department.

According to Braxton’s guilty plea, from at least June 2010 through February 2012, Braxton was a part of a drug trafficking conspiracy based in and around Temple Hills, Maryland. Braxton regularly received multi-ounce to quarter-gallon quantities of PCP from his sources of supply and would then add starter fluid or other chemicals to the PCP to increase its quantity. Also during this time period, Braxton received heroin and crack and powder cocaine from his sources of supply. Braxton converted a portion of the powder cocaine into crack. Braxton sold the PCP, heroin, and crack to regular drug customers in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, including Prince George’s County.

From November 2011 through January 2012, Braxton was intercepted, on a court-ordered wiretap of his phone, on over 600 drug-related telephone conversations during which he and other co-conspirators discussed the sale of and arranged drug transactions involving PCP, heroin, crack, cocaine, and marijuana. On at least two occasions, a cooperating source purchased PCP from Braxton at his apartment in Temple Hills. Law enforcement seized PCP that Braxton had supplied to co-conspirators, as well as from Braxton’s bowling alley locker and other locations where Braxton stored the PCP. Braxton was overheard by law enforcement on more than one occasion directing his minor son to put a bag or other receptacle containing PCP into his bowling alley locker. A witness also saw Braxton take PCP from his bowling alley locker and put it into his son’s lunchbox, directing his son to bring the lunchbox to Braxton’s apartment.

Over the course of the conspiracy, Braxton was responsible for the distribution of at least three kilograms of PCP, 28 grams of crack cocaine, and 100 grams of heroin.

United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein commended the DEA, FBI, Metropolitan Police Department, and Prince George’s County Police Department for their work in the investigation. Mr. Rosenstein thanked Assistant United States Attorneys Christen A. Sproule and Steven E. Swaney, who prosecuted this Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force case.