A Maryland father and son face federal charges after investigators say they seized roughly $1.7 million worth of fentanyl, cocaine, and cash tied to a months-long drug trafficking investigation, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland announced.
Rashad Deondre Hicks, 36, of Largo, is charged by complaint with distribution of 400 grams or more of fentanyl. His father, Lawrence Alonzo Hicks, 62, of District Heights, is charged with possession with intent to distribute more than 400 grams of fentanyl. The 400-gram threshold isn’t arbitrary — it’s the quantity that triggers a mandatory minimum sentence under federal drug-trafficking law, meaning both men, if convicted, face a mandatory minimum of 10 years and a maximum of up to life in federal prison.
According to court documents, the DEA, FBI, and Charles County Sheriff’s Office began investigating Rashad Hicks in January 2026 on suspicion he was selling large quantities of fentanyl supplied by his father. Over the course of the investigation, an undercover officer made eight controlled purchases of fentanyl from Rashad Hicks, totaling more than 1,300 grams with an estimated street value exceeding $100,000.
When the two men were arrested, investigators executed search warrants at both residences. At Rashad Hicks’s home, they recovered approximately 230 grams of suspected fentanyl, 1,018 grams of suspected cocaine base, two loaded firearms, and about $5,000 in cash. At Lawrence Hicks’s home, investigators recovered a far larger cache: approximately 9.51 kilograms of suspected cocaine, 2.6 kilograms of suspected cocaine base, 4.4 kilograms of suspected fentanyl, and about $10,000 in cash. Combined, officials estimated the street value of the recovered narcotics at roughly $1.7 million.
U.S. Attorney Kelly O. Hayes announced the arrests alongside DEA Special Agent in Charge Christopher Goumenis, FBI Assistant Director in Charge Darren Cox, U.S. Marshal Clinton Fuchs, Metropolitan Police Interim Chief Jeffery Carroll, Prince George’s County Police Chief George Nader, and Charles County Sheriff Troy Berry. The case is being prosecuted as part of the Homeland Security Task Force initiative, a multi-agency effort established under Executive Order 14159 focused on organized criminal networks including drug trafficking operations; Assistant U.S. Attorneys Anthony Scarpelli and William Moomau are handling the prosecution.
A criminal complaint is not a finding of guilt, and both men are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court. Actual federal sentences typically fall below the statutory maximum, with a district court judge determining the final sentence based on U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors.
