officers raided a West Baltimore home and seized roughly seven kilos of heroin, $200,000 in cash and automatic weapons in a separate case. Four were arrested in that investigation; a fifth suspect, Mark "Doughboy" Owens, who police also count among the "dirty dozen," is still at large.Eight of the defendants - four from each investigation - made initial appearances in U.S. District Court in Baltimore yesterday, each charged with possession with intent to distribute heroin, among other crimes. The rest will likely appear within the next two weeks.The separate investigations came as part of the city's EXILE program, a partnership among state, local and federal officials that looks to ensure federal jail time for those arrested with guns and to build cases against violent repeat offenders through surveillance, wiretaps and confidential informants."These are some of the most violent individuals in Baltimore, some of the most dangerous ... people who are not getting arrested, or who are arrested but not getting convicted," Rosenstein said.
Wiretaps, which Rosenstein said are the best way to go after high-level offenders, were used in the investigation that led to Wednesday's West Baltimore raid on the 1600 block of Pennsylvania Ave., according to law enforcement officials.
Four people - Sharrod "Rod" Harris, Jarmaul "Deadeye" Edwards, Tiffany "Baby Girl" Edwards and Raymond Stern - were arrested in connection with that raid. They appeared in court yesterday afternoon. Each was led into the courtroom wearing handcuffs and immediately began to consult with attorneys. A detention hearing is scheduled for Monday to determine whether they will be confined while awaiting trial.
The four arrested, and Owens, are accused of being involved for at least three years with a drug organization known as " Ray Charles" responsible for distributing "large quantities of heroin and high-grade marijuana in the Baltimore City area," according to an affidavit.The organization operates near the intersection of Pennsylvania Avenue and Mosher Street, moving an estimated street value of $20,000 worth of heroin per day, according to the affidavit. Owens is the suspected leader, officials said.A day after the "Ray Charles" raids and across town, on the first block of South Regester St. in Baltimore yesterday morning, officers were locked in an hours-long standoff when a suspect in the second investigation jumped out of his third-floor window and broke into an occupied home on South Ann Street. SWAT team members and federal authorities surrounded the home until the man surrendered.
"This house was under surveillance for a very long time," said Edward A. Marcinko Jr., a special agent and spokesman for the Baltimore district of the Drug Enforcement Administration.Sterling Clifford, a spokesman for both Mayor Sheila Dixon and Police Commissioner Frederick H. Bealefeld III, said the raid was part of a concerted effort by city police to work with other law enforcement agencies to go after the most dangerous offenders. Clifford identified Owens as a "dirty dozen" target, along with Johnnie "JR" Butler, 32, who was arrested in yesterday morning's raid.Also arrested yesterday were Calvin "Turkey" Wright, 38; Walter Horton; Daron Ashe; Adrian Aulton; Geraldmain Wilkerson; Antoine Boston; Leon Wilkerson and Shawn Moore. Police were still looking for a 10th suspect in that case, Akeem "Whitelock Cuzo" Yarberough, as of yesterday.Court documents offered no details on the investigation or how the charges were determined.Both Wright and Butler were federally charged in Baltimore in 2006 with possession and intent to distribute heroin after officers seized two kilos of heroin worth roughly $200,000 wholesale and found a 2002 Mercedes with $75,000 inside. The charges against them were dropped, though a third defendant was sentenced to 240 months in the case.A key component of the EXILE program is that cases are federally prosecuted. Federal sentences are often longer than those administered at the state level, and there is no parole or probation at the federal level, Clifford said.It also allows prisoners to be sent to far-flung federal prisons, away from friends, family and other criminals. The U.S. attorney's office has increased the number of EXILE cases it takes this year by about a third, Clifford said. Working with federal authorities has helped Baltimore police go after alleged criminal ringleaders, including members of the "dirty dozen," Bealefeld said."What is much more difficult [than standard arrests] is to set your sights on a particular guy for a very specific reason to try to impact very specific violences," Bealefeld said. "And in these cases, I think we've accomplished that. We still have some people to round up and some targets to get, but the potential impact of taking these organizations off [the streets] are huge to Baltimore."
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