Rayful Edmond III, one of D.C.’s most notorious drug dealers, was transferred from prison to community confinement on Wednesday and is set to be released before the end of next year, the Federal Bureau of Prisons said.
Edmond, who oversaw a cocaine ring in the city during its crack cocaine crisis in the 1980s, is now either in home confinement or a Residential Reentry Center — known as a halfway house — the agency said. It doesn’t provide someone’s specific whereabouts for privacy, safety and security reasons, it said in a statement.
WTOP has contacted Edmond’s attorney, Tiffani Collins, for comment.
Edmond was arrested in 1989 and has been serving a sentence of life in prison without parole for drug distribution. He had another 30 years added to the sentence for selling drugs while behind bars.
But Edmond cooperated with the government for 17 years, helping them prosecute over 100 drug dealers.
During the 1980s, law enforcement said Edmond was making up to $2 million each week.
His D.C. life sentence was reduced to 20 years, and the additional 30 years came from sentencing out of Pennsylvania. However, the Bureau of Prisons said he got a sentence reduction of 288 months, which he served.
Edmond has served over 35 years in federal custody, and is projected to be released on Nov. 8, 2025.
While Edmond has never been convicted of murder, some members of his inner circle have been linked to 30 murders.
WTOP’s Neal Augenstein and Dick Uliano contributed to this report.
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