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Maryland Man Admits To Possessing Fentanyl, Other Drugs, Weapons In A School Zone: DOJ

A Baltimore trafficker has pleaded guilty to a federal drug charge and for illegal possession of a firearm in a school zone, authorities say.

Watkins was arrested for overseeing a drug trafficking operation within 1,000 feet of a school.

Watkins was arrested for overseeing a drug trafficking operation within 1,000 feet of a school.

Photo Credit: National Institute on Drug Abuse
Handcuffs

Handcuffs

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons/Gustavo Castillo

Vashawn Watkins, 21, was involved with the trafficking of a large amount of drugs in Pikesville from October 2020 through March 2021, according to the Department of Justice. 

Watkins and his associates operated a drug house in the unit block of Clovelly Street, where they processed and packaged fentanyl and other drugs for resale, prosecutors said.

The drugs were then driven to drug shops along Stricker Street, School Street, and Gilmor Street in Baltimore.

Watkins admitted to overseeing the drug trafficking operations at the Stricker Street drug shop, according to officials.

On Feb. 11, 2021, law enforcement officers saw Watkins place a firearm inside of a vehicle parked in the 1500 block of of North Slicker Street, prosecutors said. A search warrant was obtained and officers recovered a .45-caliber firearm along with Watkins' state-issued ID. 

Watkins admitted to possessing the firearm within 1,000 feet of a public elementary school.

On March 1, 2021, Watkins was seen leaving a residence in the 1500 block of Stricker Street after dropping off around one kilogram of fentanyl from an associate who had brought the drugs from the Pikesville stash house, investigators said.

Law enforcement officers then executed a search warrant, recovering the drugs and two 9mm handguns from the residence.

A search warrant was then executed at the Pikesville stash house, where 6.8 kilograms of fentanyl and other cutting agents and drug paraphernalia was recovered. 

Watkins and the government have agreed that, if the Court accepts the plea agreement, Watkins will be sentenced to between eight and ten years in federal prison. 

A sentencing has been scheduled for Nov. 9, 2022.

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