Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

WASHINGTON – Marcus Stackhouse, 37, of Maryland was sentenced today to 70 months’ imprisonment on a federal narcotics trafficking charge stemming from his narcotics trafficking in the summer and fall of 2019, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Michael R. Sherwin, Ashan M. Benedict, Special Agent in Charge of the Washington Field Division of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and Peter Newsham, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

On February 13, 2020, Stackhouse pled guilty in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to one count of Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute 28 Grams or more of Cocaine Base. Today, June 19, 2020, he was sentenced to 70 months’ imprisonment followed by four years of supervised release by the Honorable Amit P. Mehta of the U.S. District Court, with some of that term to run concurrently to his ongoing sentence in Prince George’s County, Maryland.

Stackhouse was arrested after the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) engaged in a large-scale drug investigation in the 2900 block of Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue, Southeast, Washington, D.C. and arrested multiple individuals involved with narcotics trafficking. During the investigation, the ATF conducted several controlled purchases of narcotics from Stackhouse, to include the purchase of cocaine base (also known as crack cocaine). After Stackhouse was arrested on a separate firearms charge in Maryland, Stackhouse’s brother – Kevin Stackhouse – took over the narcotics trafficking on Stackhouse’s behalf. On October 9, 2019, ATF obtained a search warrant and conducted a search of Kevin Stackhouse’s residence, finding a digital scale, drug paraphernalia, cocaine residue, two loaded firearms – a .22 caliber firearm and a revolver – and four imitation firearms. Law enforcement also recovered nearly 400 rounds of ammunition, and two additional firearms magazines. On January 8, 2020, Kevin Stackhouse pled guilty to one count of Using, Carrying, and Possessing a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Offense, and on May 7, 2020, Judge Mehta sentenced Kevin Stackhouse to 60 months’ imprisonment.

“This investigation is another example of our ability and desire to disrupt drug trafficking organizations in the District of Columbia, even and especially during a global public health crisis,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Sherwin. “As a result of this effort, we were able to remove dangerous narcotics and firearms off of our streets.”

“Today’s sentencing is the culmination of an extensive and highly successful investigation by our dedicated agents and law enforcement partners,” said ATF Washington Special Agent in Charge Ashan M. Benedict. “This operation accomplished multiple objectives, including the removal of firearms and ammunition, as well as the arrests and convictions of multiple suspects tied to these crimes.  Our communities are safer today as a result of these efforts.”

“This arrest and conviction gets us one step closer to making our communities in the District safe from illegal drugs, firearms and violent crime,” said Metropolitan Police Chief Peter Newsham. “The coordinated effort between federal and local agencies demonstrates our commitment to bringing individuals involved in these types of crimes to justice.”

This case is part of an Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF specializes in the investigation and prosecution of drug trafficking and money laundering organizations and related criminal enterprises.

This case was also prosecuted as part of the Department of Justice’s “Project Safe Neighborhoods” Program (PSN), which is a nationwide crime-reduction strategy aimed at decreasing violent crime in communities. It involves a comprehensive approach to public safety — one that includes investigating and prosecuting crimes, along with prevention and reentry efforts. In the District of Columbia, Acting U.S. Attorney Sherwin coordinates PSN efforts in cooperation with various federal, state, and local law enforcement officials.

In announcing the sentence, Acting U.S. Attorney Sherwin, Special Agent in Charge Benedict, and Chief Newsham commended the work of those who investigated the case, including ATF and MPD. They also expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by the United States Secret Service, U.S. Marshals Service, Prince George’s County, Md. Police Department, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland.

Finally, they cited the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, Assistant U.S. Attorney Gregory Rosen of the Violent Crime and Narcotics Section, Paralegal Specialist Teesha Tobias, Kim Hall, Candace Battle, and Legal Assistant Peter Gaboton.

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