SUBSEQUENT OFFENDER SENTENCED TO THIRTY (30) YEARS IN THE CUSTODY OF THE DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS FOR DRUG DISTRUBUTION CHARGES

On January 6, 2012, Maurice Brown, age 27, of Salisbury, Maryland was sentenced to thirty (30) years in the custody of the Department of Corrections (DOC) for drug and firearms violations. This case arose out of an investigation initiated by the Wicomico County Narcotics Task Force (WINTIF). A traffic stop was conducted by a Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office deputy on January 6, 2011, wherein the defendant was found to be in possession of 6.92 ounces of cocaine. A subsequent search warrant executed by WINTIF at a residence utilized by the defendant yielded the recovery of $10,400 in U.S. currency, three handguns, digital scales and other drug paraphernalia.

On December 5, 2011, the Defendant elected to have a trial by jury and was convicted of six charges including possession with intent to distribute cocaine, possession of cocaine, possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of a firearm during a drug trafficking crime, possession of a firearm after being convicted of a felony (this was the Defendant’s second drug distribution offense), and concealment of proceeds from a drug offense.

A Wicomico County Circuit Court Judge sentenced the Defendant to twenty five (25) years of active incarceration for the drug and firearms violations. Fifteen (15) of the aforesaid twenty five (25) years is a mandatory/minimum sentence, which means that the Defendant has limited possibilities of parole during the first fifteen (15) years of his sentence. In a subsequent hearing, the same judge sentenced the Defendant to an additional five years to be served consecutively to the twenty five year sentence because the defendant committed these offenses while he was on probation for a drug conviction the Defendant received in 2008. Notably, the 2008 Drug Conviction arose out of an investigation conducted by the Salisbury Police Department.

Matt Maciarello, Wicomico County State’s Attorney, commended the efforts of the Wicomico County Narcotics Task Force in the investigation of this case. Mr. Maciarello further states, “We hope that this conviction serves as notice to the drug dealers in Wicomico County that this conduct will not be tolerated in our community. Armed drug dealers are a threat to every member of our community. This investigation and prosecution by the members of WINTIF keeps this danger to our community incarcerated for a very long time.”

Mr. Maciarello commended Mrs. Patrizia Colletta, the WINTIF task force prosecutor who was the lead prosecutor on this case. For more information or for an interview please call the Office of the State’s Attorney at (410) 548-4880 or go to www.wicomicosao.com.