Accused Maryland Heroin Ring Leader Gets 19 Years
BALTIMORE (AP) -- A Prince George's County man who prosecutors say was the leader of a drug ring has been sentenced to 19 years in prison.
Leonard Benjamin of Bowie was sentenced Thursday in federal court in Baltimore. The 30-year-old had been facing life in prison.
As part of a plea agreement with prosecutors, Benjamin pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute a kilogram or more of heroin. In exchange, prosecutors dropped three other charges.
Prosecutors say Benjamin led a drug ring that brought heroin from New York City to stash houses in the Baltimore area for sale.
Prosecutors say when investigators served a search warrant at one of the stash houses in February, they recovered more than 600 grams of heroin. They say about $40,000 in cash was seized from Benjamin's home.
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