Upper Marlboro man sentenced for role in three-county drug ring
Fletcher organization allegedly sold cocaine in Prince George's, Anne Arundel and Charles
The last alleged member of a Prince George's County drug ring that sold cocaine in three counties was sentenced Monday to more than 10 years in prison, according to a spokeswoman for the United States Attorney's Office for the District of Maryland.
Upper Marlboro resident John Vincent Fletcher, Jr., 64, allegedly sold powder and crack cocaine in Prince George's, Anne Arundel and Charles counties for a drug ring run by his brother, Lester Fletcher of Upper Marlboro, spokeswoman Marcia Murphy said.
U.S. District Judge Peter J. Messitte sentenced Fletcher to 121 months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute cocaine and crack cocaine.
Fletcher was the last of 18 alleged coconspirators, including his brother, who have been convicted of drug charges since 2006. At his indictment, Fletcher admitted to selling about five kilograms of cocaine between January 2002 and April 2005 out of houses at 9100 D'Arcy Road and 8600 Pennsylvania Ave. in Upper Marlboro, Murphy said.
Fletcher was arrested Sept. 29, 2004 after police found him with 31 grams of crack cocaine during a traffic stop, Murphy said.
Fletcher's brother, Lester Fletcher, 53, of Upper Marlboro was sentenced to life in prison in July 2006 after being convicted of the drug conspiracy and drug and money laundering charges.
E-mail Greg Holzheimer at gholzheimer@gazette.net.