Trafficker linked to Baltimore police sentenced to 25 years

BALTIMORE – A man convicted of heroin trafficking who prosecutors say was protected for years by a corrupt Baltimore detective has been sentenced to 25 years.

U.S. District Court Judge Catherine Blake on Friday sentenced Antonio Shropshire for operating a trafficking ring near a Baltimore shopping centre.

Prosecutors say his drug-dealing organization was massively aided by co-defendant Momodo Gondo, a disgraced member of the Baltimore police’s Gun Trace Task Force.

They say the detective provided protection and information to Shropshire — and informed him that federal agents hid a tracking device on his car.

In a separate case centred on his corrupt police unit, Gondo has pleaded guilty to racketeering and conspiracy.

According to the plea agreement, Gondo schemed to steal cash and drugs by detaining victims, entering homes and falsifying affidavits.