ST. MARY’S COUNTY COCAINE CONSPIRATOR

 SENTENCED TO OVER 8 YEARS

13 Co-conspirators Previously Convicted and Sentenced

        Greenbelt, Maryland - U.S. District Judge Roger W. Titus sentenced Wendell Ignatious Ford, age 44, of Lexington Park, Maryland yesterday to 97 months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute cocaine and crack cocaine, announced United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein.

        According to his guilty plea, from at least 1999 and through March 23, 2006 Ford obtained cocaine from sources in Maryland and North Carolina.  The cocaine was transported to St. Mary’s County, Maryland, and supplied to co-conspirators for distribution.  Ford and others converted some of the cocaine powder into crack and then sold crack and cocaine powder to customers.  The cocaine was stored and “cooked” at locations in St. Mary’s County, Maryland.   

        During the course of the conspiracy Ford was responsible for the distribution of five kilograms or more of cocaine and 50 grams or more of crack cocaine. 

        Thirteen other defendants have pleaded guilty to their involvement in the drug distribution network, including: Terry Barba, age 36, of Newark, New Jersey, who was sentenced to 20 years in prison; Kevin Darnell Dyson, age 36, of St. Mary’s City, Maryland, who was sentenced to 14 years in prison; Edwin Elton Johnson, age 33, of Lexington Park, Maryland who was sentenced to 86 months in prison; Corey Butler, age 35, of Mechanicsville, Maryland, who was sentenced to 84 months in prison; Terrance J. Brooks, age 25, of Leonardtown, Maryland, who was sentenced to 78 months in prison; Tavoy Summerville, age 29, of Lexington Park, who was sentenced to 70 months in prison; Joseph Milburn age 40, of Lusby, Maryland, who was sentenced to 60 months in prison; William Somerville, age 30, of Leonardtown, who was sentenced to 57 months in prison; Vanessa Holloman, age 31, of St. Mary’s City, who was sentenced to 51 months in prison; William L. Barnes, age 25, of Lexington Park, who was sentenced to 44 months in prison; Paul Bibeau, age 54, of Ridge, Maryland  who was sentenced to 46 months in prison; James L. Saunders, age 55, of Park Hall, Maryland, who was sentenced to 41 months in prison; and James Mora, age 53, of St. Inigoes,

Maryland, who was sentenced to two years probation, including three months of home detention with electronic monitoring and was ordered to pay a $1,000 fine.

        United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein thanked the Drug Enforcement Administration, the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office and the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation for their investigative work in this Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force case, and commended Assistant United States Attorneys Barbara S. Skalla and James A. Crowell, who prosecuted the case.