Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett sentenced Troy Lee Neal, age 42, of Elkton, Maryland, to eight years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and possession with the intent to distribute cocaine.
The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge James R. Mancuso of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Baltimore; Superintendent Colonel Woodrow W. Jones III of the Maryland State Police; and Cecil County Sheriff Scott Adams.
According to his guilty plea, investigators identified Neal as well as co-defendants Mark Williams and Kevin Johnson as suppliers of cocaine after an extended investigation dating back to 2019. The conspiracy members distributed crack cocaine to multiple customers in Elkton, Maryland.
Law enforcement also intercepted at least eight instances in which Neal, or his co-conspirators, conversed in coded conversations about drug activity. For example, on May 27, 2020, after a series of calls between a co-conspirator and a customer, police observed Neal and a co-conspirator visit a customer’s residence. Shortly after their arrival, two male customers entered the co-conspirator’s residence. After one of the two male customers left the residence, police conducted a traffic stop of this customer and seized 3.6 grams of crack cocaine. At that time, Williams, Neal, and Johnson were arrested.
As stated in his plea agreement, on June 13, 2020 law enforcement covertly observed Neal, Williams, and Johnson depart from Neal’s residence and travel to the Bronx in New York, where investigators believe that the conspiracy members obtained cocaine. The next day, on June 14, 2020, law enforcement observed the three men travel back to Neal’s residence. Law enforcement executed a search warrant at Neal’s residence and recovered 497 grams of compressed suspected cocaine, several bags of suspected marijuana, a digital scale, and several cell phones.
Co-defendant Mark Williams was sentenced to seven years in federal prison on September 23, 2021 for conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and possession with the intent to distribute cocaine. Co-defendant Kevin Johnson was sentenced to eight years in federal prison for the same charges on August 23, 2021.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron praised the HSI, the Maryland State Police Department, and the Cecil County Sheriff’s Office for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sandra Wilkinson and Kim Y. Oldham, who prosecuted the case.
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