Narcotics detective awarded by federal government
Large-scale heroin bust brought down dealer in county, D.C.
A longtime narcotics detective with the Charles County Sheriff’s Office was recently honored by the U.S. Department of Justice for his investigative efforts that helped convict a prolific heroin dealer and exposed the corruption of a former detective of the Metropolitan Police Department.
Sgt. Harry Ivers was one of six law enforcement agents, including ATF and MPD investigators, tasked with building the case against Raymond Proctor, 48, of Indian Head, who was sentenced to 62 months in prison last year in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia after pleading guilty to drug conspiracy and money laundering charges, according to a press release.
Former MPD detective Stephanie
Ellison, 51, who used money from Proctor’s heroin trafficking operation to purchase a Maserati, a BMW and a Harley-Davidson under her name, but for Proctor’s use, was sentenced to 15 months incarceration for money laundering. A veteran detective who had been with the MPD since 1986, Ellison’s career was ended by the indictment in 2013.
“Obviously, we don’t do it for the awards,” said Ivers, now a staff trainer at the Southern Maryland Criminal Justice Academy. “But it is nice when the work is recognized … With the influx of heroin overdoses, stemming from the prescription medication problem, it’s always good to make a dent in that trade, especially with all the young people dying.”
“Anytime a drug dealer is arrested, our community becomes a safer place,” Sheriff Troy Berry (D) said in a press release. “We are thankful for Sgt. Ivers and the rest of these hard-working officers and agents for their tireless dedication to ridding our communities of these dangerous drugs.”
Ivers compared the conviction of Proctor to cutting the head off a snake, adding that in his opinion, one big arrest benefits the community more than arresting several low-level drug dealers.
From start to finish, the investigation lasted about four years.
“I started it in 2008,” Ivers said. “He was a Charles County resident, selling heroin in Charles County and the D.C. metropolitan area.”
“Informants put us onto him,” he continued. “We started the case in Charles County and I was later contacted by the ATF in Washington [in 2010]. [An agent] was also doing a case against him on the Washington, D.C., side. They found out I was doing a case on him in Charles County and we kind of joined forces.”
During the investigation, undercover ATF agents set up several controlled heroin exchanges, using pre-recorded cash funds and cases of untaxed cigarettes to purchase approximately 418 grams of heroin, sometimes at a nightclub and restaurant owned by Proctor in Washington, D.C., court records show.
The investigation also revealed Ellison’s role, knowingly using money from illegal proceeds to purchase luxury vehicles to be used by Proctor.
“With the way the police are viewed now, it’s nice to be recognized with awards like this,” said Ivers. “Obviously, I didn’t do this by myself.”
For their help in the investigation, Ivers thanked CCSO Sgt. Burroughs and Det. Sauve, the ATF special agents and MPD detectives and assistant U.S. attorneys Karla-Dee Clark and Zia Faruqui.
“They were all absolutely integral in the case and the prosecution of the case,” he said.
He also thanked Berry and the CCSO command staff for their support, which is needed to continue large-scale investigation such as this.