BALTIMORE (AP) -- A Prince George's County man who prosecutors say was the leader of a drug ring has been sentenced to 19 years in prison.

Leonard Benjamin of Bowie was sentenced Thursday in federal court in Baltimore. The 30-year-old had been facing life in prison.

As part of a plea agreement with prosecutors, Benjamin pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute a kilogram or more of heroin. In exchange, prosecutors dropped three other charges.

Prosecutors say Benjamin led a drug ring that brought heroin from New York City to stash houses in the Baltimore area for sale.

Prosecutors say when investigators served a search warrant at one of the stash houses in February, they recovered more than 600 grams of heroin. They say about $40,000 in cash was seized from Benjamin's home.

(Copyright 2013 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)