Department of Justice

Greenbelt, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis sentenced Daiquan Malik Barnett, age 25, of Great Mills, Maryland, to 78 months in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for possession of controlled substances with intent to distribute, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition.

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Acting Special Agent in Charge L.C. Cheeks, Jr of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Baltimore Field Division; and St. Mary’s County Sheriff Tim Cameron.

According to his plea agreement, on September 17, 2019, Barnett facilitated the sale of a semiautomatic, assault-style rifle—a transaction surveilled and recorded by ATF.  Barnett acted as the middle man in the transaction and facilitated the transaction by communicating the price of the weapon and the meeting place for the sale.  While discussing his personal firearm during the meeting, Barnett lifted his shirt and showed the clear outline of a semiautomatic weapon with an extended magazine.

After the meeting, Barnett proceeded to drive to a fast-food restaurant where law enforcement blocked Barnett’s vehicle while he sat in the line of cars for the drive through window.  Upon seeing law enforcement, Barnett unsuccessfully attempted to flee by backing up.  In the process of attempting to flee, Barnett crashed his vehicle into a civilian’s vehicle parked behind him.

Upon his capture, officers recovered 20.68 grams of cocaine, .99 grams of fentanyl, and oxycodone pills with a total weight of 1.934 grams.  Barnett agrees that he possessed the cocaine, fentanyl, and oxycodone with the intent to distribute them.  Additionally, Barnett possessed a total of $723 on his person.  Of the funds recovered, $200 were ATF funds that were Barnett’s cut from the sale of the semiautomatic rifle. The remaining funds were proceeds of Barnett’s drug trafficking.

As stated in his plea agreement, law enforcement also recovered several items from the vehicle Barnett was operating, including a semi-automatic pistol, an extended magazine with 13 rounds of 9mm ammunition, one 9mm caliber drum magazine loaded with 53 rounds of 9mm caliber ammunition cartridges, two digital scales, torn baggies, gloves, brass knuckles, and St. Mary County’s court documents bearing Barnett’s name.

Barnett knew he was prohibited from possessing firearms and agrees that he possessed the firearm and ammunition in furtherance of his drug trafficking activity.  Barnett was prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition from a previous drug-related conviction. 

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron praised the ATF and the St. Mary Sheriff’s Office for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph R. Baldwin, who prosecuted the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.  Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts.  PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

 For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/project-safe-neighborhoods-psnexile and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.

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