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Vashawn Watson, 22, was sentenced to nine years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, after he pleaded guilty to illegal possession of a firearm in a school zone and possession with intent to distribute controlled substances.
As part of his guilty plea, Watkins admitted that between October 2020 and March 1, 2021, he was engaged in drug trafficking involving large amounts of fentanyl and other controlled substances out of a stash house in the unit block of Clovelly Street in Pikesville.
At the home, prosecutors say that they processed fentanyl and other drugs, mixed them with cutting agents, and packaged the drugs for resale.
Watkins and his associates then drove the packaged drug products to drug shops operated by their drug trafficking organization, along Stricker Street, School Street, and Gilmor Street in Baltimore, sometimes overseeing the operation himself.
According to his plea agreement, on Feb. 11, 2021, while Watkins was overseeing operations at the Stricker Street drug shop, investigating officers spotted Watkins place a gun inside a vehicle parked in the 1500 block of North Stricker Street.
A search warrant for the vehicle and recovered a loaded .45-caliber firearm and Watkin's state-issued ID.
When interviewed, prosecutors said that Watkins admitted to knowingly possessing the loaded gun within 1,000 feet of a public elementary school.
The investigation continued, and on March 1, 2021, Watkins was seen leaving the Stricker Street home and taking possession of a kilogram of fentanyl that was delivered from the Pikesville stash house.
A second search warrant was executed at the home, where investigators seized two loaded 9mm handguns from the residence and approximately 6.8 kilograms of fentanyl from the Pikesville stash house, along with cutting agents and drug paraphernalia.
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