A 47-year-old man was sentenced after taking part in a large-scale cocaine trafficking conspiracy that transported drugs from New York to Washington, D.C., and the surrounding areas.
Marcus Devonta Williams of Brookeville, Maryland, served as the distributor for the Washington, D.C. area.
According to court papers, the FBI began investigating the large-scale drug conspiracy that operated along the Northeast coast, from Washington, D.C., and Maryland to New York, in the summer of 2024. As the operation’s point person, Williams was entrusted with transporting the drugs from New York from co-defendant Daryl Smith-Winfree and distributing them to resellers and individual buyers throughout the region.
From February to April 2025, law enforcement made four controlled transactions from Williams. He was also caught on video meeting with Smith-Winfree in a parking area, where they exchanged a brown bag. The following day, Williams met with another co-defendant, Tavon Valentine Lee, in Silver Spring. Lee entered his car and exited carrying a brown paper bag.
Police discovered cocaine residue in the bag after it was thrown. Shortly later, Montgomery County police stopped Lee and found approximately 257 grams of cocaine and a loaded weapon in his vehicle.
Later that day, law officials intercepted Williams and discovered $33,000 in cash in his vehicle. Search warrants were then executed at Williams’ home and a construction trailer linked to him. Officials discovered between five and six ounces of cocaine, approximately $31,000 in cash, a money counter, and narcotics packaging supplies.
The following day, Howard County police intercepted Smith-Winfree, who was on his way to restock Williams, and discovered around three kilograms of cocaine secreted inside his vehicle.
On February 4, Williams pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine.
He got a 70-month prison sentence. In addition, the judge ordered Williams to serve five years on supervised release and pay a $150,000 money judgment.
“Marcus Williams played a central role in a cocaine trafficking pipeline that moved multi-kilogram quantities of dangerous drugs from New York into the Washington metropolitan area,” stated US Attorney Pirro. He sold cocaine to resellers around the region and earned handsomely from this illegal enterprise. Today’s punishment underscores the tremendous harm caused by large-scale drug trafficking and demonstrates our determination to bring those who flood our communities with illegal narcotics accountable.
Smith-Winfree, 44, pled guilty on Jan. 28 to one count of conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine and received a 96-month jail term.
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