Two Drug Traffickers in Organization That Distributed Heroin in Baltimore City and Baltimore and Anne Arundel Counties Sentenced to Prison

Baltimore, Maryland - U.S. District Judge J. Frederick Motz sentenced Dorian Grey Bess, a/k/a “D,” “D-Squared,” “Sis,” age 42, of the Bronx, New York, today to 10 years in prison followed by 10 years of supervised release for conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute heroin. Judge Motz sentenced co-defendant Juan Johnson, age 35, of Annapolis, Maryland, to 92 months in prison, followed by eight years of supervised release.

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein; Special Agent in Charge Richard A. McFeely of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; Baltimore Police Commissioner Frederick H. Bealefeld III; Major Michael Kundrat, Senior Commander of the Maryland Transportation Authority Police; Michael A. Pristoop, Chief of the Annapolis Police Department; Anne Arundel County Police Chief James Teare, Sr.; Colonel Marcus Brown, Superintendent of the Maryland State Police; Special Agent in Charge Ava Cooper-Davis of the Drug Enforcement Administration - Washington Field Division; and Chief James W. Johnson of the Baltimore County Police Department.

According to her guilty plea, on June 18, 2010, law enforcement stopped a bus in which Bess was traveling on I- 95 in Baltimore just north of the Fort McHenry tunnel and seized two and one-half kilograms of heroin. Bess was attempting to deliver the heroin to defendant Christian Gettis. Later that day, Gettis called Bess. Bess told Gettis that she had been stopped by police who had seized a cloth bag from her that contained nine duct taped packages of heroin. Bess also told Gettis that the police let her go and that she had the bus drop her off on Pleasant Valley Road near “homeboy’s house,” a reference to co-defendant Recco F. Beaufort.

According to his plea, Juan Johnson was intercepted on his cellular telephone making arrangements to purchase heroin from Christian Gettis, which Johnson then sold to his own customers. For example, on August 24, 2010, Johnson was overheard ordering 25 grams of heroin from Gettis and on September 23, 2010, Johnson was again overheard ordering 30 grams of heroin from Gettis. On both occasions, agents observed Johnson arriving at Gettis’ residence to pick up the drugs.

Bess and Johnson were part of a drug trafficking organization which used a location that was less than 1,000 feet from a charter school in Baltimore City to process and distribute heroin. The investigation revealed that the conspirators distributed heroin in Baltimore, Baltimore County, Anne Arundel County and a housing project in Annapolis. Bess conspired with Gettis and others to distribute between one and three kilograms of heroin and Johnson conspired to distribute between 100 and 400 grams of heroin.

To date, 12 defendants, including the ringleader, Christian Devlon Gettis, a/k/a “Cutty Rock,” “C,” and “Chris,” age 39, of Baltimore, and Recco Beaufort, age 52, of Gwynn Oak, Maryland, have pleaded guilty to their participation in the drug trafficking conspiracy. Beaufort was sentenced to 121 months in prison on December 21, 2011. Judge Motz has scheduled Gettis’ sentencing on February 17, 2012.

United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein praised the FBI and FBI agents in Baltimore, Annapolis, and Washington, D.C.; the Baltimore Police Department; MdTA Police; the Annapolis Police Department; the Anne Arundel County Police Department; the Maryland State Police; FBI agents in New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania; the DEA; and the Baltimore County Police Department for their work in the arrest of the defendants, the searches and the investigation. Mr. Rosenstein thanked Assistant United States Attorneys Ayn B. Ducao and Christopher J. Romano, who prosecuted this Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force case.