Man back in jail after failing drug test
The Baltimore County man charged with hoarding guns, drugs and explosives — and setting them off in the middle of the night — is back in jail as government officials attempt to seize his Pikesville condo and weapons arsenal.
A county judge ordered Frederick Mackler, who was on home detention awaiting trial, to return to prison after the 59-year-old tested positive for cocaine use last month. Mackler is accused of setting off fireworks from his fourth-floor condo, startling neighbors with deafening blasts and blinding flashes for more than two years.
New court records indicate Mackler traveled “quite frequently” to Costa Rica to buy cocaine to re-sell in the United States.
“On the most recent trip, Mackler brought back two bags containing 100 grams of cocaine each,” federal prosecutors wrote. “He said that he started bringing cocaine back into the United States from Costa Rica when he discovered how inexpensive it was there.”
Government officials have filed paperwork to seize Mackler’s $550,000 condo on Brynmor Court. They also want the 12 handguns, an Uzi submachine gun, a rifle, two shotguns, more than 200 rounds of pyrotechnics including 100 rounds of “birdbangers” and a gun used to fire them found in the home during an April 28 raid.
Mackler’s trial was scheduled to start last week but was postponed until Oct. 7. In a hearing June 27, Mackler’s attorney, who did not return a call for comment, described him as a long-term cocaine addict.
In May, Baltimore County Circuit Court Judge Robert Cahill allowed Mackler to serve pretrial detention at his brother’s home as long as he stayed at least 5 miles from Stevenson Commons and passed all drug tests.
“Revoked!” Cahill scrawled in Mackler’s court file when prosecutors notified him of his recent relapse.
Baltimore County police officials said forfeited assets will be converted to cash to be divided among agencies involved in the investigation. The weapons could be destroyed, said department spokesman Bill Toohey.
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