Owings Mills Man Pleads Guilty and is Sentenced to Over Six Years in Federal Prison for Possession with Intent to Distribute Fentanyl

 Baltimore, Maryland – Douglas Vines, age 50, of Owings Mills, Maryland pleaded guilty today to possession with intent to distribute fentanyl. U.S. District Judge Catherine C. Blake sentenced Vines to 78 months in federal prison followed by four years of supervised release.

The guilty plea was announced by Acting United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Jonathan F. Lenzner; Special Agent in Charge Jarod Forget of the Drug Enforcement Administration – Washington Division; and Postal Inspector in Charge Daniel A. Adame of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service – Washington Division (USPIS).

According to his guilty plea, as a result of an ongoing investigation into drug trafficking in the Baltimore area, the USPIS and DEA linked Vines with Baltimore-area properties that received mail parcels believed to contain controlled substances.

On February 10, 2021, investigators recovered a USPS parcel sent by Vines to an associate. Approximately 2.8 grams of fentanyl were retrieved from the box along with Vines’ fingerprints from the interior of the parcel. On March 19, 2021, Vines mailed 83.5 grams of fentanyl in exchange for $5,000.

In addition, on April 28, 2021, law enforcement observed Vines mailing a parcel to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvaniaand executed a search warrant on Vines’ parcel, recovering 90 grams of cocaine and 30 grams of fentanyl.

As stated in his plea agreement, on June 16, 2021, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Vines’ residence and at a relative’s residence. As a result of the search warrants, officers recovered 101.58 grams of fentanyl, 0.76 grams of heroin, 27.62 grams of cocaine, $20,000 in U.S. currency, as well as various packaging and weighing materials.

On June 21, 2021, Vines asked an associate to help him acquire new identity documents in order for Vines to “set up shop” elsewhere. During the week of July 17, 2021, Vines “ordered” a false photo ID, social security card, passport, and sent a picture of himself to an associate to acquire the false identification papers.

Acting United States Attorney Jonathan F. Lenzner commended the USPIS and DEA for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Lenzner thanked Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason X. Hamilton and Assistant U.S. Attorney James G. Warwick who prosecuted the case.