New Yorker Sentenced for Supplying Kilogram Quantities of Cocaine to D.C. -Area Distribution Ring

WASHINGTON - Daryl Smith-Winfree, 44, a New York-based cocaine supplier, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court to 96 months in prison for his role in a large-scale narcotics distribution conspiracy that funneled multi-kilogram quantities of cocaine from New York into the Washington metropolitan area, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.

"On multiple occasions Daryl Smith-Winfree drove kilogram quantities of cocaine from New York to the Washington area, hiding them in his car, and kept meticulous ledgers on his phone tracking every customer and every delivery," said U.S. Attorney Pirro. "With seven prior convictions, he chose to continue dealing. Today's sentence reflects both the seriousness of this conspiracy and his long history of choosing crime over every other option available to him."

Smith-Winfree pleaded guilty on Jan. 28, 2026, before Judge Amir H. Ali to one count of conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine. In addition to the 96-month prison sentence, Judge Ali ordered Smith-Winfree to serve five years of supervised release. Federal prosecutors had requested a sentence of 120 months.

According to court documents, beginning in the summer of 2024, the FBI launched an investigation into a large-scale cocaine conspiracy spanning the District, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and New York. Smith-Winfree served as a cocaine supplier, personally transporting multi-kilogram quantities from New York to customers in the Washington D.C. metropolitan area. Those customers included co-defendant Marcus DeVonta Williams, who then redistributed the cocaine throughout the region.

On Jan. 28, 2025, law enforcement observed Smith-Winfree meet Williams in the parking lot of a shopping center in Wilmington, Delaware. Smith-Winfree entered Williams's vehicle carrying an unknown object and remained inside for about 18 minutes before leaving without it. On March 24, 2025, surveillance captured a second meeting between the two at a Walmart parking lot in Wilmington.

The following day, Williams provided co-defendant Tavon Valentine Lee with 250 grams of cocaine. When Montgomery County Police stopped Lee shortly afterward, they recovered about 257 grams of cocaine, a loaded Glock 23 .40 caliber pistol, and suspected counterfeit oxycodone pills. Inside a bag Lee had discarded before the stop, officers found cocaine packaging consistent with kilogram-quantity distribution, cocaine residue on cutting instruments, and a parking receipt tied to Williams's vehicle.

On June 3, 2025, a Howard County police officer conducted a traffic stop on Smith-Winfree in Maryland based on GPS data indicating he was on the way to resupply Williams with cocaine. A drug-detecting dog reacted strongly to Smith-Winfree's Honda Pilot. A search of the vehicle revealed three kilograms of cocaine hidden inside. That same day, officers executed a search warrant at Williams' residence and recovered more than 200 grams of cocaine, $35,000 in additional currency, and numerous items to distribute cocaine.

A search warrant executed on Smith-Winfree's iCloud account revealed digital ledgers tracking cocaine deliveries by date and quantity, with entries corresponding to customers including Williams. Smith-Winfree admitted responsibility for at least five kilograms of cocaine.

Co-defendant Lee pleaded guilty Jan. 30, 2026, to possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense. Co-defendant Williams pleaded guilty Feb. 4, 2026, to conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine. Sentencings are pending.

This case was investigated by the FBI Washington Field Office, the Drug Enforcement Administration's Washington Field Office, the Montgomery County Police Department, Howard County Police Department, and the Arlington County Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Anthony Scarpelli and Michael L. Barclay.

A search of Smith-Winfree's Honda Pilot revealed three kilograms of cocaine hidden inside.

25cr163