Suitland PCP Dealer Sentenced to 12 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 Shareef Muhammad, age 34, of Suitland, Maryland, today to 12 years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute phencyclidine (PCP), crack cocaine, and heroin.

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 Department; and Chief Mark A. Magaw of the Prince George’s County Police Department.

According to Muhammad’s guilty plea, from at least June 2010 through February 2012, he was a part of a drug trafficking conspiracy led by Samuel Braxton based in and around Temple Hills, Maryland. Braxton regularly received multi-ounce to quarter-gallon quantities of PCP as well as heroin, crack, and powder cocaine from his sources of supply. Braxton sold the PCP, heroin, and crack to Muhammad and other drug customers in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, including Prince George’s County.

In August 2011, law enforcement made two purchases of PCP from co-conspirator Cortez Winston, totaling about 16 ounces of PCP. Muhammad had supplied Winston with the PCP, which he had obtained from Braxton. On September 9, 2011, law enforcement arrested Muhammad in Southeast Washington, D.C. and seized from Muhammad’s vehicle approximately 31 ounces of PCP which he had obtained from Braxton.

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

Judge Titus also found that Muhammad attempted to obstruct justice. According to Muhammad’s plea agreement, on August 3, 2012, while he was in prison, Muhammad mailed a letter to an associate instructing that person to bring a second enclosed letter to another individual. Muhammad instructed that the second individual should deliver the second letter to Muhammad’s co-defendant, have Muhammad’s co-defendant re-write the letter, and have it notarized. The second letter appeared to have been drafted by Muhammad and had the co-defendant denying that he/she had ever obtained drugs from or discussed drugs with Shareef Muhammad.

A total of 15 members of the conspiracy have been convicted, including Samuel Braxton, age 44, of Temple Hills, Maryland; Mac “Easy” Holland, age 40, of Upper Marlboro, Maryland; and Norman Lee, Jr., age 36, of Washington, D.C., who were sentenced to 27 years in prison, 15 years in prison and 188 months in prison, respectively. Cortez Winston, age 22, of Suitland, Maryland, also pleaded guilty and is scheduled to be sentenced on October 21, 2013.

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, Steven E. Swaney, and Arun Rao, who prosecuted this Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force case.