Attorney General Anthony G. Brown of Maryland said Tuesday that seven people had entered guilty pleas in relation to a significant drug trafficking enterprise that was active in northwest Baltimore. The group, which stood for Longwood-North-Dukeland, or LND, was disbanded after a thorough investigation that involved both local and federal law enforcement.
Targeting criminal behavior in the vicinity of West North Avenue, North Rosedale Street, and Westwood Avenue, the joint investigation was started in May 2023 by the DEA, the Baltimore Police Department, and the Attorney General’s Organized Crime Unit. In January 2024, law enforcement carried out several search warrants and made covert purchases of firearms and drugs, such as cocaine, heroin, and fentanyl. Ten firearms, including two stolen firearms, an untraceable ghost gun, and two assault rifles, were found during one raid at the residence of a gun supplier in Baltimore County.
Seven offenders have entered guilty pleas and received sentences that range from 20 years in prison to supervised probation. Roland King, 38, is one of them; he was given the heaviest sentence to date, 20 years, with 10 years to be spent without parole, for trafficking fentanyl, conspiring to distribute drugs, and illegally possessing a firearm. Micquan Leonard, the 44-year-old supplier, received a 15-year sentence for several firearms crimes, including eight years of active incarceration.
Attorney General Brown said in a statement that “guns and drugs poison our communities and force our neighbors to live in violence and fear.” These investigations removed dangerous drugs and illicit firearms from our streets, and the penalties make it very evident that traffickers will face consequences for their illegal actions.
Three trials are still pending, including the January 7, 2025, trial of 32-year-old Keon Powell. Currently wanted are two other defendants, Martina Staggers, 52, and Eric Steven Smith, 59. The Baltimore City Sheriff’s Office is asking anyone with information regarding their whereabouts to get in touch.
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