BERLIN — A Berlin man, who pleaded guilty in federal court in April to possession of nearly 400 grams of crack cocaine with intent to distribute, was sentenced last Friday to seven years in prison.
Marcus Pitts
Marcus Pitts, 49, of Berlin, pleaded guilty in April in U.S. District Court to possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine. According to Pitts’ guilty pleas, in September 2018, members of the Worcester County Criminal Enforcement Team (WCCET) were investigating Pitts for suspected drug distribution. While conducting surveillance at Pitts’ residence, investigators saw a suspected drug user go into the residence, come out a short time later, and then drive away, according to police reports.
Investigators conducted a traffic stop of the vehicle and recovered a glass smoking pipe and the small amount of cocaine, which the suspect acknowledged he had just purchased from Pitts, according to police reports. On September 14, 2018, WCCET members executed a search warrant on Pitts’ residence and recovered roughly 396 grams of crack cocaine, baking soda, a glass Pyrex dish, plastic baggies, an empty digital scale box, three cell phones and nearly $1,500 in cash.
An additional cell phone was recovered from Pitts outside the residence. A subsequent search warrant of the cell phones revealed numerous text messages indicating Pitts was involved in trafficking crack cocaine. Pitts was released from state custody on bail in September 2018.
He was arrested again on a federal warrant in January 2019. At the time of his arrest, Pitts was in possession of a bag of crack cocaine, which he reportedly attempted to throw away was police officers approached him. A cell phone was also recovered from Pitts at the time of his arrest, and a search revealed text messages that indicated Pitts continued to distribute crack cocaine while he was released from state custody on bail.
Pitts and the federal government agreed that if the court accepts the plea agreement, Pitts would be sentenced to seven years in federal prison. On Friday, Pitts appeared in federal court for a sentencing hearing and was sentenced to seven years in jail, followed by three years of supervised probation upon his release.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended Homeland Security Investigations and the WCCET, comprised of the Ocean City Police Department, the Worcester County Sheriff’s Office, the Maryland State Police, the Pocomoke City Police Department and the Ocean Pines Police Department for their work in the investigation and thanked the Worcester County State’s Attorney’s Office for its assistance.
