Armed Drug Dealer Sentenced To Prison In Anne Arundel County

LINTHICUM HEIGHTS, MD — An armed drug dealer from Linthicum Heights will spend between five and 30 years in prison, prosecutors announced Wednesday.

Anne Arundel County State's Attorney Anne Colt Leitess said the defendant claimed to be a sovereign citizen, a person who believes they are not subject to laws and government.

Anne Arundel County Circuit Court Judge Robert J. Thompson sentenced Alpha Ibrahim Bah Mansaray, 26, to 60 years in prison, suspending all but 30 years. Mansaray will have the possibility of parole after five years. He will serve five years of probation after release.

A jury on July 30 found Mansaray guilty of possessing a firearm during a drug trafficking crime.

"Individuals who represent themselves to be 'sovereign citizens' pose a daily challenge for law enforcement and the courts," Leitess said in a press release. "They claim that the laws of our State and our Country do not apply to them. They are wrong. This Defendant's refusal to cooperate with law enforcement and orderly court proceedings is very unfortunate. But more importantly, an armed drug dealer will be behind bars and have time to reflect on his poor choices."

The Anne Arundel County Police Department was dispatched to the intersection of Crain Highway and Veterans Highway in Glen Burnie for a crash on Jan. 16, the release said.

The prosecution said Mansaray, the driver of one of the vehicles involved, refused to provide a driver's license to officers after they tried repeatedly to gain his cooperation.

The state's attorney said Mansaray resisted when authorities tried to arrest him for driving without a license, requiring multiple officers to take him into custody.

Leitess said police found Mansaray with a loaded .380 Glock handgun, a bottle of Oxycodone that was not prescribed to him, a scale with a white powdery substance, two cell phones and $677 in cash.

The release said Mansaray continued to ignore officers' instructions at central booking, where authorities found a bag of drugs in his groin area.

A drug chemist later identified the substances as over 12 grams of fentanyl and 117 grams of cocaine, prosecutors said.

Detectives estimated that the street value of the drugs was over $12,000.

Assistant State's Attorney Jeremy Whitlock prosecuted the case. The Anne Arundel County Police Department led the investigation.