BALTIMORE (WBFF) — A Baltimore man has pleaded guilty in federal court for his role in a drug trafficking conspiracy involving fentanyl and other narcotics, authorities announced Thursday.
Jeremy Bethea, 46, admitted to conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute controlled substances, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland.
Investigators said Bethea and his co-conspirators were responsible for distributing large quantities of fentanyl, crack cocaine, and cocaine in the Baltimore area between August 2022 and October 2023.
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Law enforcement seized more than 400 grams of fentanyl, more than 28 grams of crack cocaine, and additional quantities of cocaine intended for sale during the investigation.
Authorities, including the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Baltimore Police Department, conducted a series of undercover operations that led to Bethea’s arrest.
Between November 2022 and May 2023, investigators carried out 15 controlled purchases of narcotics from Bethea.
In one instance in January 2023, Bethea sold more than 40 grams of fentanyl to an undercover agent.
Federal agents later obtained authorization to wiretap several cellphones linked to the conspiracy.
Intercepted communications revealed detailed coordination of drug transactions among Bethea and his associates, officials said.
On April 17, 2023, Baltimore police officers stopped a vehicle tied to a planned drug deal after monitoring intercepted calls.
Bethea was inside the vehicle, and officers recovered several hundred gel capsules later confirmed by a DEA lab to contain more than 400 grams of fentanyl.
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Investigators also identified a residence in the Sharp-Leadenhall neighborhood that Bethea used to store drugs.
During a search of the property on August 22, officers recovered 105 grams of crack cocaine packaged for sale and more than 300 grams of marijuana.
Bethea now faces significant prison time.
He could receive a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and up to life in prison for the conspiracy charge, along with an additional mandatory minimum of five years and a maximum of life in prison for possession with intent to distribute.
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