Prince George's County residents Malik Marin, of Bowie, and Tuflah Davies, of Laurel, both 27, will spend years behind bars after admitting to possession of a large amount of fentanyl, the state's attorney's office announced.
Both received the same sentence: 15 years in prison with all but five years to serve, followed by five years of supervised probation following their release.
In December last year, the pair traveled from Los Angeles to Rockville on an Amtrak train, bringing illicit drugs with them.
Prosecutors say that they were stopped upon their arrival by Montgomery County Police officers, who found multiple bundles of pills wrapped in plastic.
"Officers observed Marin and Davies to be looking around and to be in possession of black roller suitcases and a black bag," court documents state. "(An officer) observed a black GMC Yukon Denali pull up to the bus stop. (They) placed the suitcases in the trunk of the Yukon and (got in) the rear passenger seats."
Investigators said that the Yukon had tinted a tinted windshield and windows that "were so dark the (officer) was unable to observe the driver, any potential passengers, nor anything inside of the vehicle," which led to a fateful traffic stop.
A subsequent search of the Yukon by a police K9, it was determined that there were drugs in the vehicle, leading to Marin and Davies' arrests.
In total, the pair had thousands of pills that weighed an estimated 2.2 kilograms, many of which contained fentanyl, they noted.
According to the DEA, 2 milligrams of fentanyl is considered a potentially lethal dose, meaning that the drugs seized could have theoretically killed upwards of two million people if they hit the streets.
“Fentanyl is killing people in our county, the country and worldwide," Montgomery County State's Attorney John McCarthy said. "The effort to address the flood of fentanyl into our community is one of the most important things we can do."
Want breaking news in the DMV as it happens, or want to contribute? Join the DMV All Incidents Facebook group.
Click here to follow Daily Voice Clarksville and receive free news updates.