Maryland Men Charged In Massive Meth And “Date Rape Drug” Trafficking Ring

WASHINGTON — Federal prosecutors allege an international drug trafficking ring moved massive quantities of high-purity methamphetamine and a dangerous chemical commonly known as the “date rape drug” through Maryland and Washington, D.C., using shell beauty companies, encrypted messaging apps, and international supply chains tied to South Korea.

An 11-person federal indictment unsealed in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia charges defendants with conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and gamma-butyrolactone, or GBL, along with money laundering offenses tied to the alleged operation.

According to prosecutors, the organization distributed methamphetamine alongside GBL, an industrial solvent that converts into GHB inside the body and is commonly linked to overdose deaths and drug-facilitated assaults. Investigators alleged the drugs were marketed together in a dangerous party-drug combination known as “sexchem.”

Federal authorities said the network operated from at least January 2023 through April 2026, trafficking narcotics throughout Maryland, Washington, D.C., New York, Pennsylvania, and Florida while attempting to expand nationwide.

“This long-term investigation peeled back the layers of a sophisticated drug trafficking empire,” U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro said in announcing the indictment.

Investigators alleged the organization imported nearly 600 liters of GBL per month from South Korea at its peak by disguising shipments as beauty supplies and cleaning products through sham businesses created in New York and Washington, D.C.

The investigation ultimately resulted in the seizure of approximately 1.5 metric tons of GBL in South Korea, described by authorities as the country’s largest domestic seizure of a controlled substance. Federal agents also recovered roughly 800 kilograms of GBL in the United States and more than 35 kilograms of high-purity methamphetamine during the investigation.

GBL seized by investigators in Seoul, South Korea. (Photo courtesy of U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Columbia)

Several defendants are accused of operating within Maryland during the conspiracy. Prosecutors alleged Matthew Thomas Kent, 40, was arrested in Anne Arundel County in March 2024 after authorities recovered approximately 480 grams of methamphetamine from his vehicle.

Authorities also identified Robert David Fitch, 40, and Rene Alexander Acosta, 33, both of Baltimore, among those charged in the federal indictment.

Court records allege Kent continued trafficking after his Maryland arrest, including a 2025 methamphetamine transaction involving narcotics that tested at 98% purity. Prosecutors also alleged Colton Keet Huthsing, 30, of Washington, D.C., attempted to rebuild the organization’s GBL supply chain after South Korean authorities disrupted shipments overseas.

On April 29, federal agents executed coordinated raids across multiple states, including Maryland, arresting East Coast defendants and recovering approximately 7.5 kilograms of methamphetamine, 24 kilograms of GBL, cocaine, pills, and more than $150,000 in cash. Two California-based defendants were arrested days later.

The indictment names Artemio Jacobo-Magana, Aaron James Landry, Matthew Thomas Kent, Colton Keet Huthsing, Rene Alexander Acosta, Joshua Glen Taylor, Robert David Fitch, Michael Robert Spitzer, Scott Patrick Morgan, also known as “Scotty Rox,” and Kenneth Harold Archer as defendants in the alleged conspiracy.

Chief Judge James E. Boasberg is presiding over the case. If convicted, the defendants face mandatory minimum sentences ranging from 10 years to life in federal prison.