Joppa Man Sentenced For Being Drug Kingpin

BEL AIR, MD — A Joppa man will serve 20 years in prison for being a drug kingpin. A judge issued the sentence this past week in Harford County Circuit Court.

Being a kingpin comes with a mandatory sentence of 20 years without the possibility of parole.

Harold Junior Morris, 30, of the 2000 block of Mountain Road, was convicted of the following:

• Drug kingpin — sentenced to 40 years, with all but 20 years suspended (felony)
• Possession of large amount of drugs — sentenced to five years (felony)
• Conspiracy to distribute drugs — sentenced to five years, with five suspended (misdemeanor)
• Distributing drugs (misdemeanor)
• Possession with intent to distribute (felony)

Morris will serve his jail time concurrently, The Aegis reported, so his sentence is 20 years total.

The conviction stems from a tip that came in more than a year a half ago.

Investigators said they found 249 pounds of marijuana, with an estimated street value of $1.1 million, after responding to a tip in January 2017 that led them to a storage facility linked to Morris and his girlfriend in the 900 block of Pulaski Highway.

Morris and his live-in girlfriend Sherrie Lyn Miller, 26, were arrested after the search warrants were executed at their residence and the nearby storage facility, according to the Harford County Sheriff's Office.

The couple was charged with possession with intent to distribute a large amount of marijuana, possession of marijuana and possession of drugs other than marijuana (mushrooms). Both were released on $50,000 bond, the sheriff's office said.

According to the sheriff's office, Morris and Miller received marijuana from California and stored it at the facility on Route 40, where they then packaged it. Digital scales, a money counter, heat sealer and 2007 Toyota Highlander were reportedly found at the facility.

Law enforcement seized $185,000 in cash from the Mountain Road residence and bank accounts, officers said they took the following items into evidence as a result of the raid at the home of Morris and Miller:

• 2008 Mercedes-Benz C300
• 2011 Jaguar XF sedan
• 2014 BMW motorcycle
• Two Honda watercraft and trailer
• Two large four-wheel ATVs
• One off-road motorcycle/dirt bike
• High-value women's jewelry and handbags
• Flat-screen TVs

RELATED: 249 Pounds of Marijuana Found in Joppa Drug Bust

Miller has pleaded not guilty to all charges, court records show.

She is slated to appear in Harford County Circuit Court Aug. 28.

What Makes Someone A Drug Kingpin?

A drug kingpin in the state of Maryland is defined as one who has manufactured, distributed, dispensed or possessed any of these:

• 50 pounds or more of marijuana
• 448 grams or more of cocaine or crack or mixture containing a scientifically measured amount
• 28 grams or more of morphine or opium or any derivative, salt, isomer or salt of an isomer of morphine or opium or a mixture containing them
• 5 grams or more of fentanyl or any structural variation of fentanyl
• 28 grams or more of any mixture containing a detectable amount as scientifically measured using representative sampling methodology, of fentanyl or any structural variation of fentanyl
• 1,000 dosage units or more of lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD)
• 16 ounces or more of phencyclidine in liquid form (PCP)
• 448 grams or more of any mixture containing a detectable amount of phencyclidine
• 448 grams or more of methamphetamine or a mix containing it