A 36-year-old Largo man and his 62-year-old father from District Heights are facing federal charges after investigators say they were running a fentanyl and cocaine distribution operation out of two Prince George's County homes, with authorities estimating the total street value of the seized narcotics at roughly $1.7 million. Rashad Deondre Hicks and Lawrence Alonzo Hicks each face a mandatory minimum of 10 years and up to life in federal prison if convicted.
U.S. Attorney Kelly O. Hayes announced the charges on Wednesday, describing a months-long, multi-agency investigation that pulled together the Drug Enforcement Administration's Washington Division, the FBI's Washington Field Office, the U.S. Marshals Service, the Metropolitan Police Department, the Prince George's County Police Department, and the Charles County Sheriff's Office, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Maryland. As reported by WBFF, the DEA, FBI and Charles County Sheriff's Office began tracking Rashad Hicks in January, and law enforcement went on to conduct eight separate controlled fentanyl purchases from him that totaled more than 1,300 grams and were valued at more than $100,000.
Two Homes, Kilograms of Drugs
Officials executed search warrants at both men's homes, according to the same WBFF report. At Rashad Hicks's residence in Largo, police recovered about 230 grams of suspected fentanyl, 1,018 grams of suspected cocaine base, roughly $5,000 in cash, and two loaded firearms. At Lawrence Hicks's home in District Heights, investigators seized 4.4 kilograms of suspected fentanyl, 2.6 kilograms of suspected cocaine base, about 9.51 kilograms of suspected powder cocaine, and around $10,000 in cash.
Combined across both properties, the Justice Department's own accounting puts the total haul at more than 4.6 kilograms of suspected fentanyl, 3.6 kilograms of suspected cocaine base, and 9.5 kilograms of powder cocaine, along with $15,000 in cash and two loaded firearms. Rashad Hicks is charged with distributing more than 400 grams of fentanyl, while his father, Lawrence Hicks, is charged with possession with intent to distribute more than 400 grams of fentanyl. Both men and Rashad Hicks's father were suspected of selling large amounts of fentanyl, though the criminal complaint against them is not proof of guilt.
What the Charges Could Mean
Under 21 U.S.C. § 841, distributing or possessing with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in federal prison and a maximum of life, per the Legal Information Institute. Federal drug thresholds step up sharply at that mark; the same statute triggers only a five-year minimum at 40 grams. That framework is what puts both father and son in the range of a decade or more behind bars if convicted.
The Washington Division overseeing the case, which covers Maryland, Washington D.C. and Virginia, has been led by Special Agent in Charge Christopher C. Goumenis since August 2025. Goumenis, a three-decade law enforcement veteran, has made dismantling local synthetic opioid supply lines a stated priority, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration.
A Statewide Drop, but Fentanyl Still Dominates
The case lands amid a broader statewide decline in overdose deaths. Provisional data released by Governor Wes Moore's office in January showed Maryland drug overdose deaths fell 26 percent in 2025 to 1,315 fatalities, a 10-year low and a 53 percent drop from the state's 2021 peak of 2,800 deaths, according to the Office of Governor Wes Moore. Fentanyl-specific deaths dropped even more sharply, falling 31 percent from 1,314 in 2024 to 906 in 2025, per state health dashboard figures cited by CBS News.
Still, fentanyl remains the leading cause of fatal drug poisonings in Maryland, and the decline has not been felt equally. The Maryland Department of Health found that fatal overdoses among Black Marylanders were 1.4 times higher than among white residents in 2025, with Black men aged 55 and older remaining the state's most disproportionately impacted group — their overdose rate was three times higher than that of white men in the same age bracket. In Prince George's County, where both Largo and District Heights sit, opioid-related deaths dropped to 81 fatalities in 2025, a notable local decline alongside surrounding suburban counties, according to Narcotics.com.
Regional Coordination Continues
Local and federal cooperation on narcotics enforcement has been a running theme in the region this year. Prince George's County Police Chief George Nader was elected chair of the Washington/Baltimore High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas Executive Board in June, a body that coordinates intelligence sharing and funding between federal agencies and local police departments. Meanwhile, Maryland's Rapid Analysis of Drugs program has tested more than 6,000 street-level samples across 15 jurisdictions to monitor dangerous additives like xylazine and medetomidine mixed into the fentanyl supply, according to the Maryland Daily Record.
The Hicks case follows a string of similar federal and state prosecutions across Maryland this year, including a Randallstown dealer's 11-year sentence for bulk fentanyl and firearms. Neither Rashad Hicks nor Lawrence Hicks has entered a plea in the current case, and the criminal complaint against them remains an accusation, not a finding of guilt.
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