September 22, 2021 astatine 12:37 pm
BALTIMORE (WJZ) — A erstwhile Safe Streets subordinate has been sentenced to implicit 11 years successful Federal Prison for conspiracy to administer fentanyl, heroin and cocaine, the U.S. Attorney’s Office of Maryland announced Wednesday.
Safe Streets is simply a community-based programme to trim weapon unit successful precocious unit areas of Baltimore. Officials said Ronald Alexander, 50, was employed by Safe Streets portion helium distributed narcotics.
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According to Alexander’s plea agreement, helium operated a “drug shop” successful northwest Baltimore. Law enforcement monitored his texts and watched him get drugs from his co-defendant, a supplier, extracurricular a state presumption aggregate times.
Officials said Alexander utilized his presumption with Safe Streets to debar apprehension and evade police. In 1 lawsuit connected August 5, Alexander was stopped by an serviceman aft helium rolled done a halt sign, and utilized his transportation with the Mayor’s bureau to wriggle retired of further investigation.
“Yeah. Police hopped connected me. Told maine to get disconnected the phone. You cognize they scared, you cognize they frightened of the Mayor Office, I said antheral I enactment for Safe Streets from the Mayor Office,” Alexander reportedly said connected a telephone telephone to a person after. “I was conscionable coming from 1 of my subordinate house, successful request with this, it was successful request of nutrient owed to the pandemic. He accidental oh, good ok.”
On August 9, Alexander was pulled implicit aft helium was seen successful a car with his co-defendant, an accused supplier. When officers recovered 100 grams of fentanyl successful the halfway console, Alexander told officers helium took the drugs from a assemblage subordinate arsenic portion of his enactment with Safe Streets to forestall crime.
According to the tribunal documents, the officers seized the drugs, but did not apprehension Alexander. After that, helium met with his supplier and threw distant the compartment telephone instrumentality enforcement had tapped.
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On August 14, hunt warrants were executed astatine aggregate locations successful the investigation, including Alexander’s house. There, officers seized a 9mm semi-automatic pistol and six cartridges of ammunition, a integer standard and cause packaging material, suspected cutting agents, and Safe Streets clothes.
“Ronald Alexander not lone polluted the Baltimore assemblage with unsafe drugs and illegally possessed a firearm, but helium besides risked undermining Safe Streets and different assemblage outreach efforts,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Jonathan F. Lenzner. “Our unit simplification strategy is based connected beardown enforcement efforts focused connected those driving the unit and distributing ample quantities of narcotics portion besides providing robust assemblage outreach and prevention initiatives. Hopefully this condemnation volition promote others to enactment down the weapon and springiness up the cause commercialized and take to put successful themselves and their assemblage instead.”
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