WICOMICO DRUG DEALER CONVICTED OF MULTIPLE FIREARM AND DRUG FELONIES IN SEPARATE TRIALS

WICOMICO DRUG DEALER CONVICTED OF

MULTIPLE FIREARM AND DRUG FELONIES IN SEPARATE TRIALS

            On December 18, 2014, after a two-day trial, a Wicomico County jury convicted Antoine Belizaire, Jr., age 32, of Wicomico County, Maryland, of possession with intent to distribute heroin and cocaine, being a felon in possession of a regulated firearm, possession of a regulated firearm during a drug trafficking offense and numerous other related offenses.

             On January 15, 2015, another Wicomico County jury convicted Belizaire on separate charges of possession with intent to distribute a large amount of heroin, conspiracy and related offenses.

The events at issue in the first trial began on April 22, 2014, when officers attempted to serve a warrant on Belizaire.  On that date, members of the Maryland State Apprehension Team (“MSAT”), which is a taskforce comprised of multiple agencies including the Maryland State Police, the Salisbury Police Department, and the Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office, were attempting to serve an outstanding warrant for assault in the second degree upon Belizaire.  Investigators conducting surveillance on Belizaire’s girlfriend’s home observed her driving in the area with Belizaire as a passenger.  Investigators then contacted members of the Maryland State Police Gang Enforcement Unit to assist in stopping the vehicle.  Officers attempted to stop the vehicle, however, the vehicle fled and led officers on a pursuit through the streets of Salisbury.  Eventually, Belizaire bailed out of the vehicle and fled on foot.  While fleeing from the location, Belizaire was observed to discard a tan baseball cap.  This baseball cap was recovered and was found to contain a large amount of heroin, as well as cocaine, marijuana, and a loaded semi-automatic handgun.  The street value of the heroin seized was estimated to be $16,000. 

The events at issue in the second trial occurred while Belizaire was incarcerated and pending trial on the gun and drug charges from April 22^nd.  During this time, Belizaire began to make numerous telephone calls from the Wicomico County Detention Center to his girlfriend and her uncle.  During these calls, Belizaire, speaking in code, instructed his girlfriend to remove an amount of heroin from a residence and to give it to her uncle.  Belizaire also instructed the uncle on how to prepare it for street-level sales with the aim of continuing Belizaire’s drug distribution network while he was incarcerated.  Unfortunately for Belizaire, investigators had continued their investigation into his on-going drug activity.  During the course of this continued investigation, investigators were able to develop his girlfriend as a co-conspirator and confronted her.  Belizaire’s girlfriend then began cooperating with authorities and ultimately led investigators to where the heroin was concealed.  This led to the recovery of more than 300 grams of heroin from her uncle’s residence.  The street value of the heroin seized was estimated to be approximately $200,000.

 Belizaire, who acted as his own attorney in both trials, has multiple prior convictions including felony drug and firearms convictions.  At the time, Belizaire was on probation for possession with intent to distribute narcotics and is currently pending a violation of probation hearing in that matter.

 Sentencing for the new offenses was deferred to allow for a pre-sentencing investigation to be completed.  Belizaire’s potential total sentence on the offenses for which he was convicted in the first trial is more than seventy-five years with at least twenty years of that time being mandatory, non-parole eligible time.  Belizaire also faces approximately sixty years of potential incarceration with more mandatory time in the second case.  Finally, Belizaire then faces a potential additional fifteen years on his violation of probation. 

 Wicomico County State’s Attorney Matthew A. Maciarello commended the Maryland State Apprehension Team, the Maryland State Police Gang Enforcement Unit, the Wicomico County Narcotics Task Force, and the Wicomico County Bureau of Investigation for their work in the investigation and prosecution of this case.  Mr. Maciarello also thanked James L. Britt who prosecuted Belizaire.  

             For more information or for an interview please call the Office of the State’s Attorney at (410) 548-4880 or visit www.wicomicosao.com.