A Baltimore man has been sentenced to over 13 years in federal prison for his role in a cocaine distribution conspiracy. U.S. District Judge James K. Bredar handed down a sentence of 140 months to Linnard Wortham, 41, of Baltimore, Maryland, for conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and possession with intent to distribute controlled substances. Wortham also received an additional 16 months for violating the terms of a previous supervised release agreement stemming from earlier convictions related to racketeering and drug offenses in 2015. In total, Wortham was sentenced to 156 months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release.
The sentencing was announced by Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, along with representatives from several law enforcement agencies: Special Agent in Charge Christopher C. Goumenis of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) – Washington Division; Acting Special Agent in Charge Evan Campanella of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) – Baltimore; Special Agent in Charge Kareem Carter of Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), Washington D.C. Field Office; Chief Robert O. McCullough of the Baltimore County Police Department (BCPD); Secretary Carolyn Scruggs of the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services (DPSCS); and Chief Richard Worley of the Baltimore City Police Department (BPD).
According to court documents, multiple federal agencies began investigating a Baltimore-based drug trafficking organization (DTO) in 2023 that was distributing large amounts of cocaine. As part of their investigation, agents installed a covert camera outside an apartment used as a stash location in Baltimore. The camera captured frequent short visits by individuals who often left carrying bags or items consistent with kilogram packages.
On October 11, 2023, surveillance footage showed an individual leaving the stash location with a large duffle bag and placing it into a sedan before meeting Wortham on Dolfield Avenue. The duffle bag was transferred into Wortham’s SUV trunk.
Agents followed Wortham as he drove away but he stopped abruptly and fled on foot before being apprehended after a brief pursuit. Investigators searched his abandoned vehicle and found a duffle bag containing nineteen kilogram-sized packages of cocaine as well as four cell phones.
A search warrant executed on Wortham’s phones revealed text messages between him and the DTO leader that corroborated details observed during surveillance on October 11.
U.S. Attorney Hayes stated: “U.S. Attorney Hayes commended the DEA, HSI, IRS-CI, BCPD, DPSCS, and BPD for their work in the investigation.” She also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Calvin C. Miner for prosecuting the case.
Further information about the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office is available at justice.gov/usao-md and justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
