Baltimore Man Sentenced in HSTF Drug-Trafficking Case

Baltimore, Maryland - A federal judge sentenced a Baltimore man, today, for his role in a drug-trafficking organization (DTO) operating in a Baltimore open-air drug market.

U.S. District Judge Brendan A. Hurson sentenced Damon Toogood, 47, to 57 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for his role in a conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance. Law enforcement learned about Toogood's connection to the DTO while conducting a federal Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) drug investigation.

Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the sentence with Special Agent in Charge Jimmy Paul, FBI Baltimore Field Office, and Commissioner Richard Worley, Baltimore Police Department (BPD).

According to Toogood's guilty plea, in December 2024, law enforcement began investigating suspected narcotics trafficking and narcotics sales on a West Baltimore block. Investigators identified this block as an open-air drug market, with vehicles stopping to make narcotics purchases from dealers on the street and subsequently driving off.

Then in April 2025, investigators started making controlled purchases of fentanyl from the narcotics dealers on the block. One individual was later identified as Toogood. During the investigation, law enforcement observed Toogood repeatedly interacting with other street-level dealers on the block and making numerous suspected narcotics sales. Between March 19, and May 21, investigators made approximately 10 undercover purchases from the open-air drug market on the block. Law enforcement received approximately 790 gel caps, containing more than 124 grams of fentanyl.

As an example, on April 15, an undercover police officer went to the block to make a controlled purchase of narcotics. After arriving, the undercover officer exited his vehicle and approached Toogood. The undercover officer requested 50 gel caps, so Toogood went to another individual on the street to collect a baggie containing gel caps of narcotics.

Toogood then handed the undercover officer a baggie containing 50 gel caps in exchange for cash. Subsequent forensic analysis showed the gel caps contained more than 15 grams of fentanyl. Then on April 22, the undercover officer returned to the block to make another controlled purchase.

After arriving, the undercover officer approached Toogood about purchasing 50 gel caps. Toogood walked down the block to another individual to obtain a baggie containing the gel caps. Toogood, thereafter, handed the undercover officer a baggie containing the gel caps for cash. The gel caps later tested positive for 14.3 grams of fentanyl. Law enforcement conducted an additional three controlled purchases on April 29, May 7, and May 21. During these controlled buys, the undercover officer purchased 100 gel caps each time in exchange for cash. The 300 gel caps tested positive for a total of 84.3 grams of fentanyl.

This prosecution is part of the HSTF initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF Baltimore is comprised of agents and officers from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI); Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); the United States Attorney's Office (USAO) for the District of Maryland; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF); the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA); the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI); the United States Marshals Service (USMS); the Washington/Baltimore HIDTA (W/B HIDTA); the Maryland State Police (MSP); the Baltimore Police Department (BPD); and the Baltimore County Police Department (BCPD) with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney's Office for the District of Maryland.

U.S. Attorney Hayes commended the FBI and BPD for their work in the investigation, along with the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services, for its valuable assistance. Ms. Hayes also thanked Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick Rigney who is prosecuting this federal case.

For more information about the Maryland U.S. Attorney's Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit justice.gov/usao-md.

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