Baltimore Drug Dealer Sentenced to More Than Three Years in Federal Prison for Federal Narcotics Trafficking Charges
Defendant Part of Drug Conspiracy that Possessed Firearms in Furtherance of Drug Trafficking in Baltimore City
Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Catherine C. Blake sentenced William Diggs, age 30, of Baltimore, Maryland to 42 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for conspiracy to distribute, possession with the intent to distribute, and the distribution of crack cocaine.
The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; and Special Agent in Charge Timothy Jones of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Baltimore Field Division.
According to his guilty plea, from December 2019 to September 2020, Diggs conspired with others to possess, distribute, and sell crack cocaine in the area of the 2600 block of Greenmount Avenue in Baltimore, Maryland. As a member of a drug trafficking organization (“DTO”), Diggs sold crack cocaine, including to two individuals who happened to be confidential informants for law enforcement.
Over the course of four drug transactions, Diggs sold 42 vials of cocaine base as well as an eighth of an ounce of crack cocaine to an ATF confidential informant. Additionally, during one drug transaction, the confidential informant asked Diggs if they could purchase a firearm. Diggs told the informant they could purchase a firearm for $200 when he gained possession of the firearm, although he ultimately did not proceed with the firearm transaction.
As stated in his plea agreement, a second confidential informant witnessed Diggs and two co-conspirators in a Baltimore rowhouse where the confidential informant saw several firearms. Diggs later admitted the firearms were possessed in furtherance of the drug conspiracy.
The Baltimore City Police Department’s Drug Analysis Unit confirmed that the substances sold by Diggs contained cocaine base.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the ATF, the Baltimore Police Department, and the Maryland Attorney General’s Office for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Zachary Stendig, Lindsey N. McCulley and Special Assistant United States Attorney Lindsay DeFrancesco, who prosecuted the case. For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/project-safe-neighborhoods-psnexile and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
