Suspect Charged With Drug Trafficking, Found With Crack Cocaine, Fentanyl

NOTTINGHAM, MD — After weeks of investigating suspected drug trafficking in Harford County, detectives arrested Andrew Styron, Jr., 35, of Nottingham who was released on bond within hours.

During September, detectives watched his house, located in the 8000 block of Sandpiper Circle in Nottingham. They saw him selling drugs throughout the month, according to the sheriff's office. On Oct. 6, an undercover detective with the Harford County Drug Task Force met Styron to buy drugs in Edgewood. He was arrested at the scene, the sheriff's office reported.

Detectives searched Styron's vehicle and home and found approximately 1,420 grams of fentanyl powder, 275 grams of fentanyl capsules, 180 grams of crack cocaine, 720 grams of cutting agents and numerous bags containing multi-colored pills and powders, all of which are undergoing a laboratory analysis for official identification, law enforcement said. The Harford County Drug Task Force also recovered more than $550,000 in cash.

Styron was arrested and charged with multiple drug-related offenses, but was released shortly thereafter on a $25,000 bond. He remained out of jail for a week while the sheriff's office obtained a warrant for additional drug-related charges to file against him. On Oct. 13, Harford and Baltimore county sheriff's deputies arrested Styron. He currently is being held in Baltimore County without bond, authorities say.

“After weeks of dedicated effort and over several hundred hours of investigation, the Harford County Drug Task Force arrested a repeat violent felon responsible for flooding our streets and endangering lives with heroin and fentanyl. Yet within just five hours, he is released on a $25,000 bond. This is a direct result of Maryland’s increasingly criminal-friendly laws, which continue to erode justice and threaten public safety," Harford County Sheriff Jeffrey Gahler said in a statement.

"Our deputies risk their lives to protect this community, but the court system sends a message that it does not value the safety of the community, or the tireless work of law enforcement, to bring these offenders to justice. As your Sheriff, I remain committed to removing dangerous individuals from our streets, even when the justice system fails to do the same," Gahler added.