Baltimore, Maryland - U.S. District Judge Ellen L. Hollander sentenced Baraka Zuberi Chauka, age 39, of Barclay, Maryland today to 100 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release for conspiring to distribute, and possession with intent to distribute, cocaine.
The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein; Special Agent in Charge Andre Watson of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); and Queen Anne’s County Sheriff R. Gary Hofmann III.
According to evidence presented at his trial, as part of a cocaine trafficking investigation by the Queen Anne’s County Narcotics Task Force, law enforcement learned in March 2014 that Chauka routinely supplied powder cocaine to co-defendant Adrian Reed, who cooked the powder into cocaine base to sell to customers. Chauka also sold powder cocaine and crack cocaine to his own customers.
Further investigation revealed that Chauka purchased powder cocaine from a supplier in the Philadelphia area. On April 21, 2014, Maryland State Police stopped Chauka on his way back from meeting with his supplier in Philadelphia, and he was found to be in possession of approximately 125 grams of powder cocaine. A subsequent search of Chauka’s residence revealed more cutting agents and a digital scale.
On April 30, 2014, shortly after he made bail from the state drug charges, law enforcement overheard calls between Chauka and Reed indicating that Chauka had immediately returned to drug distribution. As a result of these calls, law enforcement executed a second search warrant of Chauka’s residence, this time revealing more cutting agents, a digital scale, and two boxes of 9mm ammunition.
The investigation showed that Chauka trafficked approximately 232.5 grams of powder cocaine from March to April 2014.
Adrian Lamont Reed, age 39, of Chesterton, Maryland, previously pleaded guilty to his participation in the conspiracy and was sentenced to 70 months in prison.
United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein praised HSI Baltimore and Queen Anne’s County Sheriff’s Office for their work in the investigation. Mr. Rosenstein thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jason D. Medinger and Christopher J. Romano, who prosecuted the case.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
