HSI Baltimore investigation lands Maryland man 15 years in federal prison for drug, ammunition charges

GREENBELT, Md. – An investigation conducted by Homeland Security Investigations Baltimore, the Drug Enforcement Administration Washington, D.C., the Montgomery County Police Department and the Prince George’s County Police Department resulted in a Maryland man receiving a 15-year federal prison sentence followed by five years of supervised release for conspiracy to distribute cocaine, for possession with intent to distribute cocaine and for being a felon in possession of ammunition.

William Reyes Garcia, 33, of Silver Spring, Maryland, received the 15-year prison sentence at the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland in Greenbelt on Dec. 5.

According to the investigation, between September 2020 and January 2022, Reyes Garcia and his co-conspirators participated in a drug trafficking organization responsible for the distribution of at least five kilograms of cocaine. Based on chats, phone calls, intercepted communications and other evidence, Reyes Garcia was head of the DTO.

During the investigation, authorities seized four packages containing approximately 15.65 kilograms of cocaine. The packages were shipped from Brownsville, Texas, to an address associated with the DTO in Beltsville, Maryland. Investigators obtained Reyes Garcia’s fingerprints from one of the containers in the packages. Law enforcement identified three additional packages, which investigators believe also contained narcotics, that were sent to the DTO-associated business and to a co-conspirator’s residence.

Tracking information obtained from the shipping company revealed that an IP address associated with Reyes Garcia tracked the seized packages containing cocaine as well as the additional packages. In October 2021, law enforcement seized a two-kilogram package of cocaine that was sent to Reyes Garcia. Intercepted communications following the seizure allegedly showed that this package of cocaine was intended for distribution by the DTO.

Authorities executed search warrants at locations associated with Reyes Garcia’s residence in January 2022. Law enforcement recovered more than 139 grams of cocaine and more than 101 kilograms of marijuana; a privately manufactured 9mm semi-automatic handgun, commonly known as a “ghost gun”; a magazine loaded with 22 rounds of 9mm ammunition; 53 rounds of .40-caliber ammunition; 42 rounds of .45-caliber ammunition; 50 rounds of .380-caliber ammunition; firearms parts, including a frame, slide, barrel, barrel spring, and magazine; and drug paraphernalia, including digital scales with drug residue and a money counter.

Reyes knew that he had a previous felony conviction and was prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition.

Co-defendants Fabricio Alexis Rivera, 32, of Rockville, Maryland, and Rodney Ricky Rivera, 29, of Beltsville, Maryland, previously pleaded guilty and are awaiting sentencing. Fernando Josue Garcia, 32, of Glenn Dale, Maryland, and Noel Reyes, Jr., 30, of Bowie, Maryland, pleaded guilty to their roles in the conspiracy and were sentenced to 63 months and 72 months in federal prison, respectively. Charges remain pending against three other co-defendants.

This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.

HSI Baltimore would like to extend a special thanks to their state and local partners for their partnership and tenacity in pursuing this illicit organization and its members.

This investigation was conducted by HSI Baltimore; DEA Washington, D.C.; Montgomery County Police Department; and Prince George’s County Police Department. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland prosecuted the case. The Maryland State Police; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office, and the Prince George’s County State’s Attorney’s Office also assisted in the investigation and prosecution.

HSI is the principal investigative arm of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, responsible for investigating transnational crime and threats, specifically those criminal organizations that exploit the global infrastructure through which international trade, travel, and finance move. HSI’s workforce of more than 8,700 employees consists of more than 6,000 special agents assigned to 237 cities throughout the United States, and 93 overseas locations in 56 countries. HSI’s international presence represents DHS’s largest investigative law enforcement presence abroad and one of the largest international footprints in U.S. law enforcement.