Salisbury cocaine dealer sentenced to 30 years
A Salisbury cocaine dealer will spend the next three decades behind bars, following his conviction.
On Wednesday, a Wicomico County Jury convicted 40-year-old Bonzie Lee Curtis, Jr., of possession of a firearm during a drug trafficking offense, being a felon in possession of a firearm, and possession with the intent to distribute cocaine.
The charges stem from a March 14, 2015 traffic stop conducted by the Salisbury Police Department, during which Curtis was a passenger in the vehicle. The Officer noticed suspicious activity and smelled marijuana, prompting a call to the K9 unit, who then alerted to the presence of a controlled dangerous substance. A search of the vehicle revealed a sawed-off shotgun with one live shotgun shell in a duffle bag, along with a significant amount of cocaine and six more shotgun shells hidden in a Crown Royal bag in Curtis’ pocket.
Curtis has multiple prior convictions including possession with the intent to distribute a narcotic and illegal possession of a handgun, and several violations of probation.
After his conviction, a Wicomico County Circuit Court judge sentenced Curtis to a total of 30 years in the Maryland Division of Corrections, 20 of which were a mandatory minimum, during which he won’t be eligible for parole, due to his status as a repeat offender.
