New York Drug Dealer Sentenced to 8 Years in Prison

Baltimore, Maryland - U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett sentenced Felix Lawson, age 41, of Bronx, New York, today to eight years in prison followed by five years of supervised release for possession with intent to distribute heroin and conspiracy to distribute Ecstasy (MDMA) and BZP (Benzylpiperazine - similar to an amphetamine).

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; and Colonel Marcus L. Brown, Superintendent of the Maryland State Police.

According to Lawson’s guilty plea, from at least 2008 through early 2009 Lawson bought pills containing MDMA and BZP from a co-conspirator in the Western District of New York, then re-sold the pills to others. On June 17, 2009, Lawson was arrested and released on various conditions, including that he not commit any federal, state or local crime.

On November 6, 2010, while still on pretrial release from the Western District of New York, Lawson was driving southbound on I-95 near White Marsh, Maryland, when he was stopped by a trooper with the Maryland State Police for driving too slow (38 mph in a 55 mph zone). Lawson told the trooper that he was traveling to New York after attending a church service in Baltimore. Lawson was not able to explain to the trooper where or when the church service occurred, nor why he was traveling southbound. A narcotics K-9 arrived on the scene and alerted to the exterior of Lawson’s car. A search of the vehicle recovered a total of 954.2 grams of heroin divided into 10 clear plastic baggies.

United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein commended the DEA and Maryland State Police for their work in the investigation. Mr. Rosenstein thanked Assistant United States Attorney Mushtaq Gunja, who prosecuted the case.