A Baltimore man has been sentenced to over 13 years in federal prison for his involvement in a drug trafficking operation. Linnard Wortham, 41, received a total sentence of 156 months from U.S. District Judge James K. Bredar on charges of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and possession with intent to distribute controlled substances. This sentence includes an additional 16 months for violating the terms of a previous supervised release related to convictions from 2015.
The announcement was made by Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, along with officials from several law enforcement agencies including the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), Baltimore County Police Department (BCPD), Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services (DPSCS), and Baltimore City Police Department (BPD).
According to court documents, federal agencies began investigating a Baltimore-based drug trafficking organization in 2023 that was distributing large amounts of cocaine. Agents monitored an apartment believed to be used as a stash location using a covert camera placed in the public hallway outside the front door.
The surveillance revealed frequent short visits by individuals who appeared to leave with bags or items shaped like kilogram packages of drugs. On October 11, 2023, agents observed activity involving Wortham when he received a duffle bag from another individual associated with the organization. Wortham then drove away but fled on foot when law enforcement attempted to stop him.
Law enforcement recovered the duffle bag from Wortham’s abandoned vehicle and found it contained nineteen one-kilogram packages of cocaine. Four cell phones were also seized from the vehicle. A search warrant for Wortham’s phones revealed text messages between him and the leader of the drug trafficking group that confirmed details of their transaction earlier that day.
U.S. Attorney Hayes recognized the collaborative efforts among all involved agencies in bringing this case forward and thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Calvin C. Miner for prosecuting it.
More information about community resources and priorities can be found at https://www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
