Maryland Man Pleads Guilty to Possession of Six Firearms in Furtherance of Drug Trafficking Conspiracy

            WASHINGTON – Russell Harrison, 40, of Temple Hills, Md., pled guilty today to possessing six firearms in furtherance of his participation in a drug trafficking conspiracy, announced U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu and Nancy McNamara, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office.

            Harrison pled guilty before the Honorable Richard J. Leon in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense. The charge requires a mandatory minimum sentence of five years of incarceration and up to life imprisonment. Judge Leon scheduled sentencing for Nov. 16, 2018.

            Harrison was arrested with seven other individuals in March 2018 in relation to a conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute cocaine and 280 grams or more of crack. Numerous defendants were also charged with possessing and distributing various narcotics, including crack, cocaine, PCP and fentanyl, during the period of the investigation. The charges followed an investigation into narcotics trafficking in the Washington, D.C. area.

            Harrison’s guilty plea is based on the discovery of six firearms, ammunition, and drug paraphernalia at his residence when it was searched by law enforcement on March 15, 2018. During the execution of a search warrant, FBI agents and members of the U.S. Marshals Service recovered six separate firearms, multiple rounds of ammunition, a 50-round capacity drum, a firearm silencer, and drug paraphernalia. During his plea hearing, Harrison acknowledged that he possessed the firearms in furtherance of his participation in a drug trafficking conspiracy.

            This represents Harrison’s fourth felony conviction. He earlier was convicted twice of trafficking narcotics and once of committing an assault with a firearm.

            This case is part of an Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF specializes in the investigation and prosecution of drug trafficking and money laundering organizations and related criminal enterprises.

            In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Liu and Assistant Director in Charge McNamara commended the work of those who investigated the case. They also expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by the U.S. Marshals Service. Finally, they cited the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, including Paralegal Specialists Jeannette Litz and Teesha Tobias, Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Swanton, of the Asset Forfeiture & Money Laundering Section, who assisted with forfeiture related issues, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher Macchiaroli and Kevin Rosenberg of the Violent Crime and Narcotics Section, who conducted the underlying investigation, indicted the case, and are prosecuting the remaining defendants.