Two Maryland men charged as drug kingpins after Harford traffic stop turns up kilos of suspected heroin, cocaine

Two Maryland men have been charged as drug kingpins after police found about a kilogram each of suspected cocaine and heroin during a traffic stop in Harford County earlier this week, according to information provided during their bail reviews Wednesday afternoon.Vernon Joseph Kidd Jr., of the 1500 block of Deer Park Road in Finksburg, and Shani Tiffera McDonald, of the 6600 block of Windsor Mill Road in Gwynn Oak, were ordered held without bail by Harford County District Court Judge Victor Butanis.Kidd is 49 and McDonald will turn 33 on Friday, according to online court records. Both are charged with possessing a drug other than marijuana, possessing drugs with intent to distribute, possessing a large amount of drugs, being a drug kingpin and importing drugs into the state.During a Monday traffic stop by Maryland State Police, the two men were found to have 1,036.4 grams – about a kilogram, or 2.2 pounds – of cocaine, Melissa Hoppmeyer, an attorney with the Maryland Attorney General's Office, said at the bail review.Police then executed three search warrants, during which they found about a kilogram of heroin, two firearms and $12,000 to $15,000 in cash, Hoppmeyer said.The men were allegedly trafficking the drugs from New York, she said. The arrests were the product of an ongoing investigation by the Attorney General's Office, she said.According to online court records, McDonald received a citation for having a passenger in a rear seat who was not using a seatbelt.McDonald also is out on bail for a pending case in which he is charged with possessing drugs with intent to distribute in Baltimore County, Hoppmeyer said. He also has two other convictions.The kingpin charge means there is a presumption the suspects would flee if released, Hoppmeyer said in arguing for them to be held without bail.McDonald has lived at the Gwynn Oak address for 19 years, works at a restaurant on Reisterstown Road in Baltimore and has a custody hearing pending, according to information given by McDonald and his public defender, Brian Cunningham.Kidd has worked as a mechanic and tow truck driver, has lived in Maryland his whole life and has been at his current address for about a year, according to Cunningham.Court charging documents were not immediately available following the hearing. Hoppmeyer could not be reached for additional comment.Kidd and McDonald are being held at the Harford County Detention Center in Bel Air, according to court records.

Two Maryland men charged as drug kingpins after Harford traffic stop turns up kilos of suspected heroin, cocaine

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