Early release requested for notorious DC drug kingpin

WASHINGTON (FOX 5 DC) - Prosecutors have requested an early release for one of the District's most infamous drug traffickers.

Rayful Edmond III, 54, is serving a life sentence without parole on federal drug charges.

He pleaded guilty in two cases - one in DC in 1989, and another in a Pennsylvania prison in 1996.

Court documents indicate that Edmond was responsible for hundreds of kilograms of cocaine sold from the D.C. area, and that he made millions in the process.

Edmond was arrested in April 1989 and convicted of a host of charges in December 1989.

After his conviction, Edmond began selling drugs from behind bars, until he was caught in 1994.

Edmond began cooperating with law enforcement after he was charged in prison.

Prosecutors say Edmond's cooperation enabled them to arrest eight people involved in a District drug ring, and recover $190,000 in drug proceeds.

Finally, they say Edmond gave prosecutors information on two homicides - and testified in the trial of one of the homicides.

In exchange for his initial plea, prosecutors helped reduce the sentence for his mother, Constance Perry, who was serving a sentence for her role in the drug conspiracy.

Following Perry's release, prosecutors say Edmond kept cooperating with law enforcement.

"The defendant's cooperation has been both deep and wide. At bottom, the defendant has made a significant contribution to the investigation and prosecution of others," prosecutors said in their motion.

FOX 5 reached out to Edmond's family for reaction Friday night. They did not want to go on camera or offer a statement.