Baltimore, Maryland - U.S. District Judge Ellen L. Hollander sentenced Daniel Blue, age 30, of Baltimore, Maryland, today to 10 years in prison followed by eight years of supervised release for conspiracy to possess and possession with intent to distribute heroin. Blue was convicted of those charges by a federal jury on June 22, 2012.
The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein; Acting Special Agent in Charge Robert Brisolari of the Drug Enforcement Administration - Washington Field Division; Baltimore City State’s Attorney Gregg L. Bernstein; and Commissioner Anthony W. Batts of the Baltimore Police Department.
According to evidence presented at Blue’s three day trial, on June 29, 2011, Baltimore City Police Department (BPD) detectives were conducting a narcotics investigation in the 700 block of N. Curley Street in Baltimore City, after receiving information that Keith Townsend, who lived in that block, was selling narcotics. Detectives arranged for a confidential source to purchase 50 grams of heroin from Townsend. Townsend contacted the source and informed him that he would be ready to sell the narcotics in fifteen minutes. A short time later, detectives saw Townsend leave his residence and walk towards the corner of E. Madison and N. Curley Street, where Daniel Blue handed Townsend a brown object, which Townsend placed in his left front pants pocket. Townsend was arrested as he returned to his residence. Officers recovered a plastic bag with a piece of bread from Townsend’s left front pants pocket. Inside of the bread was approximately 50 grams of heroin in a plastic bag.
The entire transaction between Blue and Townsend was witnessed by BPD detectives and was also captured on video by a Baltimore City Police pole camera.
On July 13, 2011, BPD detectives executed a search warrant for a residence in Nottingham, Maryland, associated with Blue,. During the search, law enforcement officers recovered over 100 grams of heroin. Blue was subsequently arrested. At the time of his arrest, Blue was on supervised release from a 2007 federal drug conviction.
Co-defendant Keith Townsend, age 50, of Baltimore, pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute heroin and was sentenced to 37 months in prison.
United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein commended the DEA, Baltimore Police Department and Baltimore City State’s Attorney’s Office for their work in this investigation. Mr. Rosenstein thanked Assistant United States Attorneys John W. Sippel, Jr. And Clinton J. Fuchs, who prosecuted the case.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
