40-Year-Old Jerold Gilliam Sentenced To Nine Years In Federal Prison For Conspiracy To Distribute Fentanyl
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- U.S. District Judge sentenced 40-year-old Jerold Gilliam, of Baltimore to nine years in federal prison for conspiracy to distribute a substance containing fentanyl with the intent to distribute.
"The defendant was dealing the deadly narcotic fentanyl in the Penn North area of Baltimore, which is a neighborhood that our Strike Force has prioritized in its enforcement efforts," said Acting United States Attorney Jonathan F. Lenzner. "Jerold Gilliam was a narcotics trafficker who polluted our communities with deadly narcotics, and as a result, he will spend nearly a decade in federal prison."
In July 2019, his plea agreement says that investigators from Drug Enforcement Administration's Strike Force Group 1 started an investigation into the area surrounding the intersection of Pennsylvania and North avenues in Baltimore City.
During the investigation, came across wire communications involving Gilliam and drug trafficking activities including the supply, cost, and proceeds of drug transactions. Visual surveillance corroborated calls between co-conspirators including Gilliam retrieving packages and engaging in hand-to-hand narcotics retail sales.
Between July 2019 and October 2019, investigators conducted controlled purchases from co-conspirators who talked about drug trafficking with Gilliam. Chemical analysis of these purchases identified the presence of fentanyl.
Investigators executed a search warrant on November 21, 2019, for Gillam. Law enforcement recovered 50 gelatin capsules containing approximately 18 grams of fentanyl.
In addition, law enforcement executed a search warrant at different locations associated with the Bullseye DTO and suspected residences acting as narcotics and packing and storage locations. As a result, law enforcement recovered a total of 138 grams of a fentanyl and quinine mixture, 19 grams of fentanyl, a bag containing 268 grams of fentanyl and acetyl fentanyl mixture, cutting agents used in preparing controlled substances, paraphernalia, and packaging materials for drug distribution.
Gilliam agreed that he or other members of the conspiracy distributed at least 400 grams of a mixture containing fentanyl during the conspiracy.
