Criminal convicted of taking out a music studio and is on the run again, officers say

WBFF (Prince George’s County, MD) — Nearly a decade ago, agents dismantled a drug trafficking organization that investigators say used a music studio in Prince George’s County, Maryland, as a warehouse.

More than a dozen people were charged in connection with the federal investigation.

A man convicted in the case is now on the run again, according to the U.S. Marshals Service.

Vincent Collins, 45, is wanted for violating federal supervised release following a 2016 conviction in connection with drug trafficking disposal.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland, Collins allegedly received a large quantity of heroin from the operations leader in 2015 for redistribution.

Investigators said that during that time, the organization would use the music studio ‘Crooked House Entertainment’ in District Heights, Maryland to conduct operations.

“The criminal participants in the conspiracy allegedly used a music studio as a warehouse,” said Al Maresca, deputy marshal with the US Marshals Service.

Maresca said drug trafficking will often use storefronts and businesses to hide drug operations.

“Any time you have a drug trafficking conspiracy, there is going to be a need to cover the large amount of traffic coming in and out, and often criminals will use legitimate businesses to further their criminal enterprise,” Maresca said.

Investigators said the organization was responsible for distributing large amounts of heroin to communities throughout Maryland.

“Heroin is an extremely dangerous drug,” says Maresca. “Heroin is a depressant. Anyone under the influence of the narcotic may experience head nodding. Unfortunately, they get to a point where their system slows down so much that they overdose and die.”

In 2016, Collins entered into a plea deal and pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute controlled substances and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a crime, according to court documents.

Collins was sentenced to 160 months in prison, but he did not fully serve that sentence.

According to investigators, Collins appealed his sentence years after his conviction.

When sentencing a person, judges will refer to so-called sentencing guidelines.

The sentencing guideline weighs the seriousness of the crime against the category of the perpetrator’s criminal history, so that an appropriate penalty can be determined.

Investigators said Collins claimed his criminal history had been miscalculated.

Collins won his appeal and was released from prison in October 2022, according to the U.S. Marshals Service.

But just four months later, investigators said Collins violated the terms of his supervised release and has been missing since February 2023.

“He’s wanted for violation of supervised release,” Maresca said. “In this case, he was released from federal prison and while he was required to report to the probation officer, he failed to do so on multiple occasions.”

Collins is approximately 6 feet tall and weighs approximately 160 pounds.

Anyone with information on his whereabouts is asked to contact the U.S. Marshals Service at 202-819-5058.