Deandrae Stull, a 34-year-old resident of Cambridge, Maryland, has been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for his involvement in a conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and possession with intent to distribute controlled substances. The sentence was handed down by Judge James K. Bredar.
The announcement was made by Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, along with officials from several agencies including the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Washington Division, Homeland Security Investigations Baltimore, Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation Washington D.C. Field Office, Baltimore County Police Department, and Baltimore City Police Department.
According to Stull’s guilty plea, multiple federal agencies conducted an investigation in 2023 into a drug trafficking organization (DTO) based in Baltimore that distributed large quantities of cocaine. The DTO used different methods to transport cocaine from California to Maryland, including sending bulk shipments via commercial flights. Stull and other members transported cocaine using these flights.
The DTO employed a method called “ghost bags,” which involved purchasing flight tickets under proxy names and checking luggage containing narcotics onto flights without the ticketed passenger actually boarding. When the flight arrived at its destination, another member would retrieve the luggage.
Law enforcement reviewed flight records from January to May 2023 and found at least 22 ghost-bag flights from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) to Baltimore/Washington International Airport (BWI) billed directly to Stull’s home address. Internet provider records linked Stull’s phone to seven IP addresses used for booking some of these flights. This led Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) to place Stull on its flight-watch list.
On June 14, 2023, United Airlines notified HSI about Stull’s planned travel from LAX to BWI scheduled for June 15. The ticketed passenger on this flight was listed as “James Davis,” a name previously used by the DTO as a proxy for ghost-bag operations. On two earlier occasions in April, ghost-bag flights under the name “James Davis” were billed to Stull’s address; on one occasion he was also listed as a passenger on the same flight.
On June 15, HSI set up surveillance at BWI before Stull’s arrival. A drug-detection K-9 scanned luggage from his flight and alerted authorities to a black suitcase labeled “James Davis.” Surveillance teams observed Stull retrieving this suitcase at baggage claim. When approached by law enforcement outside baggage claim and asked about ownership of the suitcase, Stull said it belonged to a friend. A second K-9 also indicated the presence of controlled substances in the suitcase. Authorities searched it and found 15 kilograms of cocaine inside.
This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation aimed at disrupting major criminal organizations through collaboration among federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies.
U.S. Attorney Hayes stated: “U.S. Attorney Hayes commended the DEA, HSI, IRS-CI, BCPD, and BPD for their work in the investigation.” Hayes also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Calvin C. Miner who prosecuted the federal case.
More information about the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office can be found at justice.gov/usao-md and justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
