May 9, 2018                                                                                      

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                          Contact ELIZABETH MORSE

www.justice.gov/usao/md                                                    at (410) 209-4885

Baltimore, Maryland – A federal grand jury has indicted twelve Baltimore men on charges related to a drug trafficking operation in East Baltimore.  The indictment unsealed today charges the defendants with distribution of heroin and crack cocaine.  Two defendants are charged with Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of Drug Trafficking and Conspiracy to Possess a Firearm in Furtherance of Drug Trafficking; one of those defendants is also charged with Felon in Possession of a Firearm.  Another defendant is also charged with Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of Drug Trafficking.

The indictment was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur and Special Agent in Charge Daniel L. Board Jr. of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Baltimore Field Division.

According to the thirteen-count indictment, in November of 2017, the ATF initiated an investigation into a drug trafficking organization.  The organization was allegedly responsible for distributing large quantities of heroin and cocaine in the 2100 block of Aiken Street in Baltimore, Maryland.

The following defendants are charged in the indictment unsealed today;

Devin O’Cain, a/k/a Dev, a/k/a Dex, age 26, of Baltimore, Maryland;

Charles Alston, a/k/a Nub, age 28, of Baltimore, Maryland;

James Boykin, a/k/a Mal, age 32, of Baltimore, Maryland;

Antonio Santiful, a/k/a Tony, age 29, of Essex, Maryland;

Michael Brown, a/k/a Dirt, age 38, of Baltimore, Maryland;

Brian Cunningham, a/k/a Shug, age 44, of Middle River, Maryland;

Allen Griffin, a/k/a Max, a/k/a Mean, age 30, of Baltimore, Maryland;

Wayne Chambers, a/k/a Chedder, age 21, of Baltimore, Maryland;

Lamont Ferguson, a/k/a Lonnie, a/k/a Lil Yougin, age 26, of Baltimore, Maryland;

Markytis Brown, a/k/a Money, age 32, of Baltimore, Maryland;

John Williams, a/k/a Little, and 34, of Baltimore, Maryland; and

Sheldon Hill, age 64, of Baltimore, Maryland.

All of the defendants face a mandatory minimum sentence of 5 years imprisonment and a maximum of 40 years imprisonment for the drug conspiracy charge. Chambers and Alston face a minimum of 5 years in prison to run consecutive with a maximum sentence of life for the possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.  O’Cain and Alston also face an additional maximum of 20 years in prison for the charged Conspiracy to Possess a Firearm in Furtherance of Drug Trafficking. 

Nine defendants are currently detained.  The whereabouts of Sheldon Hill and Allen Griffin are unknown.

Anyone who may have information on the whereabouts of Hill or Griffin is asked to contact the ATF-Baltimore Field Division at 1-888-ATF-TIPS, ATFtips@atf.gov, or text ATFBAL to 63975.

An indictment is not a finding of guilt.  An individual charged by indictment is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty at some later criminal proceedings. 

United States Attorney Robert K. Hur commended the ATF and the Baltimore Police Department for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Patricia McLane and Brandon Moore who are prosecuting the case.