A Maryland man has been handed a 65-month sentence in federal prison for his role in distributing a significant amount of fentanyl and cocaine, according to an announcement by U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin Jr. Derek Gaines, 37, of Severn, faced charges following ATF investigations that showed he sold narcotics to a confidential informant.
The deals involving Gaines, which took place over several months last year, were orchestrated and monitored closely by ATF agents. Court documents detail how transactions between Gaines and an informant were set up, leading to the exchange of drugs for cash—a $5,000 ATF-supplied sum on one occasion and $7,500 on another. The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia reported that the total quantity of narcotics involved included over 100 grams of fentanyl and more than 100 grams of cocaine.
Gaines previously pleaded guilty to the unlawful distribution of 40 or more grams of fentanyl on December 5, 2024. Following his prison term, U.S. District Court Judge Dabney L. Friedrich has also mandated four years of supervised release. The substances exchanged during the stings were confirmed as cocaine and fentanyl after DEA analysis, further solidifying the evidence against Gaines.
