A 45-year-old man from Baltimore, Maryland, who led a drug trafficking operation in Maryland will spend the next decade in prison after being sentenced last Friday for federal narcotics and gun violations.
According to U.S. Attorney Kelly O. Hayes, on Friday, July 25, 2025, Vincent Edison, 45, of Baltimore, Maryland, appeared in the United States District Court for the District of Maryland and was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Ellen L. Hollander to 120 months in federal prison, followed by a term of supervised release, after pleading guilty to Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance, Fentanyl, and Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person.
Edison Admits That He Led A Drug Trafficking Organization
As part of his previous guilty plea, Edison stated that he led a drug trafficking enterprise that delivered huge amounts of fentanyl throughout West Baltimore and throughout Maryland.
According To Court Documents
According to charging documents and statements made in District Court, the United States Drug Enforcement Administration identified Edison as the leader of a street drug trafficking organization operating on Winchester and North Dukeland Streets in West Baltimore in 2022 and launched an investigation into the organization’s drug distribution activities.
Throughout the investigation, Edison’s drug trafficking organization sold fentanyl capsules to countless people, including undercover investigators, every day for up to 12 hours, for several months. The inquiry also revealed that Edison sent text messages to his street sellers on a regular basis, pleading with them to set up shop by 7:00 a.m. or face a 50% salary cut. Additional text exchanges revealed when Edison would terminate street salespeople and how he collected narcotics proceeds from transactions.
In addition to Edison’s Baltimore-based consumers, his company provided fentanyl to customers throughout Maryland.
On December 7, 2022, investigators used closed-circuit cameras to surveil the narcotics enterprise. Investigators also saw Edison arrive at the street distribution site in the afternoon and deliver a black plastic bag to one of his dealers. Meanwhile, authorities noticed drug users’ automobiles parked nearby.
Investigators reviewed the registrations of the parked vehicles and discovered a Chevy registered to a resident of Washington County, Maryland. The customer who owned the Chevy returned from the street distribution location, got into his car, and drove away. Federal investigators requested that local law enforcement officers execute a traffic stop on the Chevy. When the Chevy arrived in Washington County, Maryland, police officers stopped and inspected it, discovering and collecting 500 gel caps of fentanyl inside a black plastic bag weighing 263 grams.
During The Investigation, Investigators Locate Edison’s Stash House
As the inquiry progressed, investigators were able to locate Edison’s stash home in Baltimore County, Maryland. The stash house was used to prepare and distribute fentanyl. Investigators watched Edison visiting the stash house on a daily basis and suspected he obtained cocaine hidden inside black plastic bags. Then Edison would provide the drugs to his street-level dealers.
Investigators surveilled the stash home with a clandestine camera in the afternoon on December 11, 2022, and saw Edison leave with a black plastic bag. Edison drove to the street distribution point and presented the bag to street vendors. Soon afterward, investigators saw an uptick in drug activity.
On January 27, 2023, investigators secured and carried out court-authorized search warrants at Edison’s Baltimore City home and his Baltimore County stash house. The search was carried out when Edison was at home. During the search, investigators discovered and seized five firearms, including an AR-style rifle, a 12-gauge shotgun, and three fully loaded semi-automatic handguns. Investigators also discovered and seized 70 grams of fentanyl, several expensive jewelry items worth over $150,000, and approximately $90,805 in US currency.
Additionally, at the stash home, investigators discovered a fentanyl lab. The lab contained hundreds of capsules, 22 Cap-M-Quick capsules, fillers, a digital scale, many latex gloves, and packaging materials for fentanyl distribution. Investigators also discovered and seized 133.28 grams of fentanyl in a clear plastic bag, as well as 400 tablets containing fentanyl powder totaling 307 grams.
