New York Business Owner Sentenced for Illegally Transporting and Selling Probable Carcinogen

Baltimore, Maryland - Today, U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett sentenced Idrissa Bagayoko, 59, of New York, New York, to one year of supervised release with three months of home confinement and restitution in the amount of $5,640, for illegally transporting and selling an unregistered toxic pesticide, SNIPER DDVP.

Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the sentence with Special Agent in Charge Allison Landsman, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); Special Agent in Charge Greg Thompson, Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General (DOT-OIG), Mid-Atlantic Region; and Chief Carolyn Rogers, Elkton Police Department (EPD).

In November 2024, after a four-day trial, a federal jury found Bagayoko guilty of recklessly transporting a dangerous probable carcinogen, the unregistered pesticide known as SNIPER DDVP, without proper documentation and knowingly selling SNIPER DDVP in Maryland. Bagayoko was convicted under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) and the Hazardous Material Transportation Act.

According to evidence presented at trial, on September 29, 2021, Bagayoko drove from New York to Maryland and sold two boxes of the unregistered pesticide SNIPER DDVP to an individual. He was later stopped by police in Elkton, Maryland, with 18 additional boxes of SNIPER DDVP. Bagayoko, who owns and operates Maliba Trading LLC, procured a total of 1,920 bottles of SNIPER DDVP and drove from New York to Maryland to sell the illegal pesticide.

Laboratory testing revealed Bagayoko was transporting SNIPER DDVP containing the chemical dichlorvos, which has been classified by the federal government as a probable human carcinogen. The defendant transported more than 330 pounds of dichlorvos, without requisite shipping papers, which are required to alert first responders that they are dealing with a toxic chemical compound and probable carcinogen, in the event of an accident. He subsequently sold two boxes of this unregistered pesticide to a distributor in Takoma Park, Maryland.

"Illegally transporting and selling an illegal pesticide that is a known probable carcinogen puts public health at serious risk," Hayes said. "The District of Maryland is committed to rooting out criminal actors that brazenly violate federal transportation and environmental laws while simultaneously putting Maryland's first responders and residents in harm's way."

"The defendant illegally distributed, sold and transported a toxic pesticide across state lines and lied to local police, claiming he was only transporting tea," Landsman said.  "Today's sentencing reflects the dangerous nature of illegal pesticides being transported and sold in the United States and the serious consequences that flagrant offenders face for this egregious conduct."

"Recklessly transporting hazardous materials without proper documentation as required by federal regulations is illegal and poses a danger to the traveling public," Thompson said. "Together with our federal, state, and local partners, we will continue to pursue individuals and companies that circumvent laws designed to safely move goods and products throughout the United States."

U.S. Attorney Hayes commended the EPA, DOT-OIG, and EPD for their help with the investigation. Ms. Hayes also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberly Phillips and Special Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kertisha Dixon and David Lastra who prosecuted the case.

For more information about the Maryland U.S. Attorney's Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-md.