Four men have been arrested in connection with a heroin-distribution ring that allegedly smuggled the drug from Africa and sold it in Maryland. The ring operated by having couriers ingest heroin abroad, fly into the United States, then expel the drug pellets at hotels. The traffickers then met in motels and parking lots across the state — including Montgomery and Prince George’s counties and Baltimore city — to obtain the heroin, arrange deals and make the transactions, according to court documents.
Court records show that accused traffickers Chrisanti Ignass, Kenneth Ukoh and Eddie Patrick were arrested in late March and indicted in federal court in Baltimore last week. An alleged courier, Silas Nyanda, was also indicted.
An attorney for Ignass couldn’t be reached Friday. No attorneys were listed in court records for the other defendants.
Court documents say the Drug Enforcement Administration has been investigating the operation since June. It isn’t clear how long the ring has been operating or the amount of drugs it allegedly brought into Maryland.
In June, an informant identified Patrick as a heroin trafficker who had access to large amounts of heroin, the documents say. With the help of the informant, an undercover officer made arrangements to buy heroin from Patrick; those interactions appear to have led investigators to Ukoh and Ignass, who authorities say also goes by “Cresmo.”
Patrick was selling more than $7,500 worth of heroin in each transaction with the undercover officer, court documents say. Investigators surveilling the trio observed exchanges of drugs and money at a Baltimore hotel and restaurant parking lots in Prince George’s County, according to the documents.
In February, investigators identified Nyanda as a courier after they saw Nyanda and Ignass at a Silver Spring hotel. After Ignass left the hotel, Nyanda told authorities that he had swallowed 80 condoms filled with heroin.
Other international heroin-smuggling operations bringing drugs to the D.C. region have also been busted in the past year. Eleven people have been charged in connection with a Ghana-based ring that smuggled heroin in carry-on suitcases, clothing and wigs; the leader of that operation was sentenced Friday to 14 years in prison. Other couriers — who either ingested heroin or packed it in items ranging from religious statues to clams — have also been apprehended after they arrived at area airports.
