Man sentenced to 30 years in prison for stashing over two kilos of cocaine in Maryland woods

CALIFORNIA, Md. — A Maryland man has been sentenced to over 30 years in prison for drug-related charges. Laray Anthony Maddox, 42, of California, Maryland was found guilty of possession with intent to distribute narcotics in relation to a 2022 crime and possession of a controlled dangerous substance in a large amount in relation to a 2023 crime.

A judge has ruled that sentences for both crimes run consecutively to each other. 

On Nov. 2, 2022, officers with the St. Mary's County Sheriff's Office responded to a wooded area in California, Maryland for a report of a suspicious bag that had been abandoned. In the bag was a box with over 159 grams of cocaine inside. Police say that bag belonged to Maddox. The next year, on July 14, 2023, officers saw Maddox walk into the same wooded area. A search after he left revealed two kilograms of cocaine in his possession. A search warrant was then executed on his home, where a large amount of cash and other evidence of distribution was seized.

“Removing drug dealers from the streets of St. Mary’s County is paramount to our community’s safety and well-being,” said State’s Attorney Sterling. “The inherit danger of this poisonous substance was further exacerbated by the defendant when he left such a large amount of cocaine easily accessible and thereby significantly increased the potential for harm to unsuspecting individuals, including our children and families. Thank you to the members of the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Division, Vice/Narcotics Unit, for their thorough investigation of this case and their unwavering commitment to public safety.”