Cambridge Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Federal Prison for Conspiracy, Possession With Intent to Distribute Controlled Substances

Baltimore, Maryland - Judge James K. Bredar sentenced Deandrae Stull, 34, of Cambridge, Maryland, to 10 years in federal prison for conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and possession with intent to distribute controlled substances.

Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the sentence with Special Agent in Charge Christopher C. Goumenis, Drug Enforcement Administration's (DEA) - Washington Division; Acting Special Agent in Charge Evan Campanella, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) - Baltimore; Special Agent in Charge Kareem Carter, Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), Washington D.C. Field Office; Chief Robert O. McCullough, Baltimore County Police Department (BCPD); and Chief Richard Worley, Baltimore City Police Department (BPD).

According to the guilty plea, in 2023, multiple federal agencies partnered to investigate a Baltimore-based drug trafficking organization (DTO) distributing large quantities of cocaine. The DTO used various methods to transport bulk quantities of cocaine from California to Maryland. Stull, a DTO member, and various other co-conspirators, transported cocaine via commercial flights.

The DTO concealed cocaine in "ghost bags" on commercial flights. The term "ghost bag" is the process of purchasing a flight ticket under a proxy name to a specific destination and then checking the luggage that contains large quantities of narcotics on to the flight without the ticketed passenger. When the flight reaches its destination, a co-conspirator retrieves the contraband-laden luggage.

During the investigation, law enforcement reviewed the flight records of various DTO members. As law enforcement analyzed flight records from January 2023 to May 2023, authorities discovered at least 22 ghost-bag flights from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) to Baltimore/Washington International Airport (BWI) were billed directly to Stull's home address. Law enforcement also obtained records from the internet providers of the IP addresses used to purchase the 22 ghost-bag flights. Stull's cellular phone connected to at least seven IP addresses that were used to purchase seven different ghost-bag flights. As a result, HSI placed Stull on its flight-watch list.

On June 14, 2023, United Airlines notified HSI about Stull's plans to travel from LAX to BWI on June 15. Notably, "James Davis" was a ticketed passenger on the flight. Investigators knew the DTO consistently used "James Davis" as a proxy name for ghost-bag flights. On two occasions, on April 2, and then on April 5, Stull's home address was listed as the billing address for ghost-bag flights under the name "James Davis." Additionally, on April 2, Stull was a listed passenger on the same flight as a "James Davis" ghost bag.

Then on June 15, HSI established a surveillance team at BWI prior to Stull's arrival. One group of investigators set up at the check-in conveyor with a drug-detection K-9 that scanned luggage from Stull's flight. The drug-detection K-9 found the presence of controlled substances emitting from a black suitcase with "James Davis" on the baggage ticket. Authorities sent a photograph of the luggage to the investigative team surveilling Stull's exit from his flight.

Stull arrived at the baggage carousel and retrieved the black suitcase. Shortly after leaving the baggage claim area, authorities approached Stull, asking him who was the owner of the suitcase. Stull replied it belong to a friend. During the encounter, a second drug-detection K-9 arrived, to scan the suitcase. The second K-9 also alerted authorities to the presence of controlled substances. Law enforcement searched Stull's suitcase and recovered 15 kilograms of cocaine.

This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.

U.S. Attorney Hayes commended the DEA, HSI, IRS-CI, BCPD, and BPD for their work in the investigation. Ms. Hayes also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Calvin C. Miner who prosecuted the federal case.

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

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