LEONARDTOWN, Md. – State’s Attorney Jaymi Sterling announced yesterday that Laray Anthony Maddox, 42, of California, Maryland, was sentenced to 30 years in prison with 11 years and 6 months of active incarceration for drug-related charges in reference to the recovery of over two kilograms of cocaine.
Maddox was found guilty of Possession with Intent to Distribute Narcotics in relation to a 2022 incident, as well as Controlled Dangerous Substance Possession Large Amount and Controlled Dangerous Substance Proceeds in relation to a 2023 incident. The Court ordered the sentences for both incidents to run consecutively to each other.
Officers from the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office responded to a wooded area in California, Maryland, on November 2, 2022, for a report of an abandoned suspicious bag. The bag contained a box with approximately 158 grams of cocaine that was found to belong to Maddox. On July 14, 2023, officers observed Maddox enter the same wooded area, and a search after Maddox’s departure revealed two kilograms of cocaine. A search warrant was subsequently executed on Maddox’s residence, and a large amount of cash and other evidence of distribution were seized.
“Removing drug dealers from the streets of St. Mary’s County is paramount to our community’s safety and well-being,” said State’s Attorney Sterling. “The inherit danger of this poisonous substance was further exacerbated by the defendant when he left such a large amount of cocaine easily accessible and thereby significantly increased the potential for harm to unsuspecting individuals, including our children and families. Thank you to the members of the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Division, Vice/Narcotics Unit, for their thorough investigation of this case and their unwavering commitment to public safety.”
Senior Assistant State’s Attorney Lisa Ridge, Chief of Narcotics, prosecuted the case on behalf of the citizens of St. Mary’s County.
Lieutenant Brian Fennessey of the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office was the lead investigator.
The Honorable Michael J. Stamm presided over the case.
