Maryland Man Sentenced to 90 Months in Prison for Participating in Drug Conspiracy

Gregory Cook, 48, of Waldorf, Maryland, was sentenced today to seven and a half years in prison on four felony narcotics charges for his role in a conspiracy to traffic narcotics in Northeast, D.C. and Maryland. The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu and Peter Newsham, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

           Cook was found guilty in July 2019, following a jury trial in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia before the Honorable James E. Boasberg. Cook was convicted of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 28 grams or more of cocaine base, cocaine, and heroin, as well as standalone narcotics possession offenses. Judge Boasberg sentenced Cook to 90 months in prison to be followed by 48 months of supervised release.

           As established at trial, on June 7, 2017, MPD received reliable information that Cook and his partner Cornelia Rice were trafficking narcotics in the District of Columbia and Maryland. Officers conducted surveillance of Rice, performed a stop on one of her vehicles, and recovered narcotics. During the stop, Rice asked an individual on the street to call “her mother,” to tell her that she had been arrested. Rice, in fact, called Cook. About six minutes after the call to Cook’s cellphone, with MPD officers surveilling Rice’s residence, Cook came to the front door and anxiously looked up and down the street outside of the apartment building. Immediately after Cook peered outside the door, Rice’s then 11-year-old son walked out the building with a backpack and headed down the street by himself. Officers ultimately stopped the child. Inside the backpack was a large quantity of narcotics, a pistol, and a large amount of U.S. currency. Officers then executed a search warrant at the apartment after finding Cook attempting to leave the location. In total, officers recovered approximately 50 grams of cocaine base, 270 grams of cocaine, 15 grams of heroin, 133 grams of marijuana, a .22 caliber pistol, $11,235.00, and extensive drug paraphernalia for the manufacturing and packaging of narcotics.

           In a subsequent search of Cook’s Maryland residence following his arrest, law enforcement recovered extensive drug paraphernalia that contained drug residue, a commercial money counter, and an extensive amount of jewelry. At the time of the offense, Cook had multiple prior drug trafficking and firearms convictions. During the trial, in addition to MPD officers, officers from the Charles County Sheriff’s Office assisted and testified regarding the items recovered from Cook’s Maryland residence.

           On July 3, 2019, Judge Boasberg sentenced Cook’s partner and coconspirator Rice to five years of in prison following her guilty plea to possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense.