Task Force Led by Cecil County’s State’s Attorney Makes 23 Arrests, Seizes More Than 75 Illegal Firearms, Nearly 60 Pounds of Drugs and Items Worth $200,000

 

ANNAPOLIS, MD – The Governor’s Office of Crime Prevention, Youth, and Victim Services, the Cecil County Maryland Criminal Intelligence Network (MCIN) Task Force, and partner agencies today announced that nearly two dozen criminals in North East Maryland were arrested in a recent operation. Funded through Governor Larry Hogan’s MCIN and led by Cecil County State’s Attorney James A. Dellmyer, this operation has already resulted in 23 arrests and 15 prosecutions, as well as the seizure of more than 75 illegal firearms, and nearly 60 pounds of illegal drugs, including 2,400 individual baggies of heroin and other seized items worth nearly $200,000.

“The work of the Maryland Criminal Intelligence Network showcases what can happen when law enforcement agencies have the resources they need to tackle crime head on and prosecutors have the resolve to hold offenders accountable,” said Glenn Fueston, executive director of the Governor’s Office of Crime Prevention, Youth, and Victim Services. “We appreciate and commend the men and women involved in this operation and to everyone who has a role in our criminal justice system focused on keeping Marylanders safe.”

Cecil County’s MCIN coalition, which includes the Cecil County’s State’s Attorney’s Office, Maryland State Police, Cecil County Sheriff’s Office, Cecil County Division of Parole and Probation, and the Elkton Police Department – in partnership with the Office of the State’s Attorney for Harford County – began this effort in 2021. The coalition task force represents the multi-agency and cross-jurisdictional collaboration that the MCIN program has fostered across Maryland since its inception.

“My number one priority is the safety of our citizens,” said Cecil County State’s Attorney James A. Dellmyer. “In Spring of 2021, we identified a rising new problem plaguing Cecil County – the creation, distribution, and use of illegal firearms in violent crime resulting in an alarming number of shootings and increasing drug activity in a particular area. Therefore, I established a collaboration of local and state law enforcement partners under the State’s Attorneys Gun Violence Task Force to address these safety threats. I am proud to report success in these efforts making Cecil County a safer place to live and work, and Governor Hogan’s Maryland Criminal Intelligence Network grant program was vital to the success of our task force.”

Today’s announcement comes after Governor Hogan recently announced an expansion of his Re-Fund the Police initiative to provide $500 million over 3 years to support local and state law enforcement. The governor is also reintroducing emergency crime legislation to stiffen penalties for gun crimes and shine a light on the judicial system during the 2022 Legislative Session. The General Assembly has repeatedly failed to take action on these critical public safety proposals in past years.

“The success of this operation is rooted in the collaborative efforts and persistence demonstrated by a number of law enforcement agencies, all of which are to be commended for a job well done,” said Maryland State Police Superintendent Colonel Woodrow W. Jones III. “The ongoing investigations and combined efforts to dismantle interjurisdictional criminal enterprises responsible for the manufacturing and distribution of untraceable ‘ghost’ firearms, illegal drugs, and other contraband will ultimately disrupt the supply chains to other parts of our state as we work to combat violent crime. I am grateful for the members of the State’s Attorney’s Office who are dedicated to prosecuting these criminals to the fullest extent of the law.”

Governor Hogan launched the Maryland Criminal Intelligence Network in 2017 with the goal of identifying, disrupting, and dismantling criminal networks across Maryland. To date, MCIN coalition partners have received more than $18 million in funding from the Hogan administration which has led to the disruption and dismantling of  nearly 1,400 criminal organizations. MCIN Coalitions also work with  Heroin Coordinators, funded by  the Governor’s Office of Crime Prevention, Youth, and Victim Services to address the opioid epidemic in vulnerable communities.