FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contacts:
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 410-576-7009
Charges Stem from Multi-agency GVRS Investigation Aimed to Address
Fentanyl Overdoses Tied to South Baltimore Drug Shop
BALTIMORE, MD– Attorney General Anthony G. Brown today announced
that 11 people have been charged from a long-term investigation in Southern Baltimore City.
Charges in the indictments include illegal possession of firearms and distribution of fentanyl.
The investigation was led by the Organized Crime Unit of the Maryland Office of the Attorney
General, the Group Violence Unit of the Baltimore Police Department (BPD), the U.S. Drug
Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Safety and
Engagement (MONSE) as part of Baltimore’s Group Violence Reduction Strategy (GVRS).
“The drug trade – violently protected by illegal guns – poisons communities by stealing
children’s futures and threatening people’s safety,” said Attorney General Brown. “With these
charges, our Office and its partners are sending a clear message that those who profit off the
disease of addiction and add to the devastation of the fentanyl epidemic will be prosecuted for
the harm they have inflicted on their neighbors.”
“I want to thank Attorney General Brown, the Office of Attorney General’s Criminal Division,
BPD’s Group Violence Unit, our team at MONSE, the DEA, the Washington/Baltimore High
Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA), and all of our regional law enforcement partners for
their work removing this group from our streets,” said Mayor Brandon M. Scott. “This
takedown is a great example of how GVRS is working to make our communities in South
Baltimore safer as we prepare for full expansion to the Southern District. We want Baltimoreans
to remain safe, alive, and free. At every available opportunity, we provide pathways for those at
the highest risk of being involved in violence to step away from the life, but we absolutely will
not tolerate groups that perpetuate harm and threaten the safety of our neighborhoods.”
“The deep collaboration involved in this announcement is central to GVRS and reflects a shared
commitment to public safety and accountability,” said MONSE Director Stefanie Mavronis.
“Together, we will continue to do the work necessary to safeguard our communities long-term,
while intervening with those at the absolute highest risk of being involved in violence.”
“The takedown is a major win for this neighborhood and removing those that traffic deadly drugs
and guns into our city” said Police Commissioner Richard Worley. “This level of coordination
across law enforcement shows the power of strong partnerships and shared commitment in
creating a safer Baltimore for all. Through the hard work of the men and women of the BPD and
all of our partners, we are sending a clear message: criminal activity will not be tolerated in our
city. We remain committed to reducing violence through the Group Violence Reduction Strategy
and making our neighborhoods safer.”
“All the resources & people of DEA and the federal government are dedicated to saving and
protecting the American Public. It’s heartbreaking how many lives have been lost - and we are
still losing - due to the violence and irresponsible actions of criminal organizations,” said
Special Agent in Charge Ibrar A. Mian, of the DEA Washington Division. “They do not care
about anyone and are clearly attacking the security and wellbeing of our communities, because
their only interest is making profit by pushing dangerous and deadly drugs into Maryland’s
neighborhoods, without any regard of the value of human live. I’m grateful for the hard work of
the DEA teams, AG’s litigation efforts, the Baltimore’s City Police and the Mayor’s office, with
whom we successfully executed the arrests and seized illegal drugs and guns from these
individuals.”
In September 2024, the Maryland Office of the Attorney General, the BPD, and the DEA began
a joint investigation into the members and associates of a drug-trafficking organization that was
identified through GVRS as a violent drug trafficking organization operating in the 4100 block
of Morrison Court in the Curtis Bay neighborhood in Baltimore City, Maryland. The preliminary
investigation began as a response to high rates of fentanyl overdoses in the vicinity. The
investigation soon revealed that the drug trafficking organization was the subject of GVRS and
tied to violence in the Western District. The investigation further revealed that the members of
the drug trafficking organization sold drugs, including fentanyl, heroin, and cocaine, in the area
of the 4100 block of Morrison Court and the surrounding areas encompassed by Pennington
Avenue, Plum Street, Morrison Court, and Grace Court. In addition to high overdose rates, the
area was known to contain multiple notorious open air drug shops which have contributed to
Southern District violence, including shootings and assaults, related to drug trafficking activities.
The investigation also revealed that the drug traffickers would distribute fentanyl and cocaine to
customers who walked up to the drug shop, as well as customers who drove through the area to
purchase drugs, including customers who would come from nearby Anne Arundel County. The
drug traffickers would store drugs and firearms in and around abandoned and vacant properties.
Investigators seized and tested the drugs and found that the drugs contained fentanyl, parafluorofentanyl (a synthetic opioid that is more potent than fentanyl), heroin, 4-anilino-Nphenethylpiperidine (or “4-ANPP,” which is a chemical precursor to fentanyl), cocaine, and
cocaine base (or “crack” cocaine). During the investigation, investigators conducted controlled
purchases of fentanyl and cocaine and seized a total of more than 1500 individually packaged
drugs which were destined for distribution on the streets of Baltimore City.
On March 4, 2025, police executed a series of search warrants across Baltimore City and
Baltimore County and seized drugs and proceeds related to the drug trafficking organization. In
total, the investigation led to the seizure of nine handguns and three “Glock switches,” which
convert semi-automatic handguns into illegal automatic machine guns.
[insert picture]
One defendant, Anthony Cheeks, Jr., 42, of Baltimore, was charged as a higher-ranking member
of the organization. Cheeks is alleged to have supplied the other members of the drug trafficking
organization with drugs on a regular basis. On the morning of March 4, Cheeks was arrested in
the area of the drug shop in Curtis Bay and was found to be in possession of fentanyl and
cocaine, which was packaged for resale, as well as two handguns. A search warrant at his
apartment led to the seizure of approximately 460 grams of cocaine, a large amount of U.S.
currency, and significant drug trafficking paraphernalia.
The remaining individuals charged include:
- *Colby Brown, 22, of Baltimore City
- Rashad Bryant, 22, of Baltimore City
- Terry Cheeks, 20, of Baltimore City
- Andrew Clemons, Jr., 20, of Baltimore City
- Darico Cummings, 29, of Baltimore City
- *Rayquan Ford, 23, of Baltimore City
- Dorrell Gross, 49, of Baltimore City
- *Kairie Harrison, 23, of Baltimore City
- *Markel Hawkins, 23, of Baltimore City
- Jaquan McCain, 20, of Baltimore City
- Denise Smith, 40, of Baltimore City
Defendants with an asterisk by their name have not yet been apprehended. We are asking those
individuals to contact the BPD and arrange to turn themselves in. Anyone with information on
the whereabouts of those individuals is asked to contact the BPD or Metro Crime Stoppers at 1-
866-756-2587 or visit www.metrocrimestoppers.org/submit-a-tip/. Callers can remain
anonymous.
All of the defendants who have been apprehended are currently being held without bail pending
their trials in the Baltimore City Circuit Court.
In making today’s announcement, Attorney General Brown thanked the attorneys in his Criminal
Division, including Division Chief Katie Dorian, Organized Crime Unit Chief Paul Halliday, and
Assistant Attorney General Colin McDaniels, who are prosecuting these cases. The Attorney
General thanked Baltimore City Mayor Brandon Scott and Mayor's Office of Neighborhood
Safety and Engagement Director Stefanie Mavronis. Additional thanks were extended to
Baltimore City Police Department Commissioner Richard Worley, the detectives of the BPD
Group Violence Unit who led the investigation, Special Agent in Charge Ibrar A. Mian of the
DEA Washington Division, and Baltimore City State's Attorney Ivan Bates for their assistance in
this investigation.
A criminal indictment is merely an accusation of wrongdoing, and a defendant is presumed
innocent until the State proves the defendant guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
###