Nottingham Man Convicted In Cocaine Conspiracy

BALTIMORE, MD — Authorities say a Nottingham man has been convicted of drug distribution and possession. A federal grand jury found him guilty of planning to distribute at least 5 kilograms of cocaine.

Corey Hammond, 30, was convicted following a four-day trial in U.S. District Court in Baltimore.

The jury saw evidence of nearly 15 kilograms of cocaine and $520,000 in cash over the course of the trial, according to prosecutors, who said the materials were seized from Hammond and his associates.

Intercepted phone conversations in which Hammond used code language to coordinate drug deals were also entered into evidence, officials said. For example, he discussed "2 Peyton Mannings." An expert from the DEA interpreted that to mean a kilogram of cocaine, since 18 oz of cocaine is one half a kilogram and Manning's jersey number when he played for the Indianapolis Colts and Denver Broncos was 18.

Officials also presented a text message they said outlined the terms for an 8-kilogram transaction. The sender of the text, who testified at trial, verified that "$256000 total at $32000" meant $32,000 per kilogram. To the message, Hammond replied: "Don't Text. We already agreed. We're on the same page," officials said.

Hammond was convicted of another narcotics-related offense in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, prosecutors say.

The U.S. district attorney says Hammond faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years without parole for conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute 5 kilograms or more of cocaine.

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