Member of Heroin Organization That Operated in the Baltimore Area Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison
Organization Used a Location Near a School and Distributed Heroin in Baltimore City, Baltimore, and Anne Arundel Counties, Including at an Annapolis Housing Project
| U.S. Attorney’s Office September 18, 2012 |
BALTIMORE—U.S. District Judge J. Frederick Motz sentenced Rodney Peters, a/k/a “Rocco,” and “Rodney Stokes,” age 45, of the Bronx, New York, today to 20 years in prison followed by 10 years of supervised release for conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute heroin.
The sentences were announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein; Acting Special Agent in Charge Timothy P. Groh of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Division; Assistant Director in Charge James W. McJunkin of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Washington Field Office; Acting Baltimore Police Commissioner Anthony Barksdale; Major Michael Kundrat, Senior Commander of the Maryland Transportation Authority Police; Michael A. Pristoop, Chief of the Annapolis Police Department; Anne Arundel County Police Chief Larry W. Tolliver; Colonel Marcus Brown, Superintendent of the Maryland State Police; Special Agent in Charge Ava Cooper-Davis of the Drug Enforcement Administration-Washington Field Division; and Chief James W. Johnson of the Baltimore County Police Department.
According to his guilty plea, as part of a long-term investigation being conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) into a heroin drug trafficking organization, calls were intercepted over Christian Gettis’ phone that revealed that Gettis distributed significant quantities of heroin to others in Baltimore metropolitan area and that Charles Guy was Gettis’ main source of heroin supply. Rodney Peters served as an intermediary between Gettis and Guy and closely assisted Guy. Gettis was assisted in his drug distribution by co-defendants Dorian Bess and others. The drug trafficking organization also used a location that was less than 1,000 feet from a charter school in Baltimore City to process and distribute heroin. The investigation revealed that the conspirators distributed heroin in Baltimore City, Baltimore County, Anne Arundel County, and at a housing project in Annapolis.
For example, on June 18, 2010, law enforcement stopped a bus in which Dorian Bess was traveling and seized two and one-half kilograms of heroin, which Bess was attempting to deliver to Gettis. Later that day, Gettis called Bess, who told him that police had seized a bag from her that contained nine duct taped packages of heroin. Bess also told Gettis that the police let her go and that she had the bus drop her off near the home of co-defendant Recco F. Beaufort.
The next day, Gettis called Peters. During the conversation, Peters asked about Bess and Gettis advised that she had returned to New York. Peters also used coded language to ask about the narcotics proceeds that Gettis had sent along with Bess to New York. Peters was aware that Bess was carrying a significant amount of heroin and expressed skepticism that she had not been arrested once this “major” amount of heroin had been located.
Peters admitted that he conspired with others to distribute between one and three kilograms of heroin.
To date, 27 defendants have pleaded guilty to their participation in the Gettis drug trafficking conspiracy. Judge Motz previously sentenced Christian Devlon Gettis a/k/a “Cutty Rock,” “C,” and “Chris,” age 39, of Baltimore, the leader of a heroin distribution organization, to 16 years in prison and sentenced co-defendant and heroin supplier Charles C. Guy, a/k/a “Captain,” “Beloved,” “B,” “Billy,” “Billy Guy,” “Gary Peterson,” and Damon Lamont Hackett,” age 43, of Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey, to 17 years in prison, after both pleaded guilty. Judge Motz sentenced Dorian Grey Bess, a/k/a “D,” “D-Squared,” “Sis,” age 42, of the Bronx, New York, to 10 years in prison.
United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein praised the FBI and FBI agents in Baltimore, Annapolis, and Washington, D.C.; the Baltimore Police Department; MdTA Police; the Annapolis Police Department; the Anne Arundel County Police Department; the Maryland State Police; FBI agents in New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania; the DEA; and the Baltimore County Police Department for their work in the searches and the investigation. Mr. Rosenstein thanked Assistant United States Attorneys Ayn B. Ducao and Christopher J. Romano, who prosecuted this Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force case.