PORTSMOUTH, Va. – Five members of a Portsmouth based heroin and fentanyl trafficking organization have been sentenced.
Nathaniel Powell
In total their sentences add up to approximately 66 years in prison.
The Department of Justice said Friday that the final member to face sentencing was 34-year-old Nathaniel Powell.
Powell was sentenced to 25 years in prison.
26-year-old Detuan Gordon, 38-year-old Ernest Cross, 56-year-old Valerie Wilson, and 34-year-old Marque Wilson, all of Portsmouth, were all previously sentenced for their roles in the conspiracy.
Marque Wilson
According to court documents, from March 2012 through July 2016, members of the organization conspired to manufacture and distribute over 1,000 grams of heroin.
The group’s primary source of supply for heroin and fentanyl came from Baltimore. The narcotics were then transported to Hampton Roads and repackaged using a hydraulic press machine and gel capsules for retail sales.
The organization also sent their drugs and served as a source of supply for other individuals in the Outer Banks.
According to court documents, on Dec. 22, 2015, police executed a search warrant on Gordon’s residence and recovered opiates, scales, drug paraphernalia, and firearms.
During the conspiracy Gordon, a convicted felon, possessed an AK-47-style rifle as well as a Taurus handgun.
Ernest Cross
When Gordon was arrested police recovered nearly $50,000 in cash, a firearm, heroin, and fentanyl.
Valerie Wilson was arrested in Moyock after selling five grams of heroin. Wilson also had a minor in her vehicle when she distributed the heroin.
Two members of the group led police on two separate vehicle pursuits, the Department of Justice said.
Marque Wilson, who was in possession of heroin and cocaine, was arrested on June 10, 2016, after attempting to elude police.
Valerie Wilson
On May 26, 2016, Powell led police on a high-speed chase past a school and through residential neighborhoods of Portsmouth before he crashed into another driver, who was subsequently hospitalized.
Powell, who is a paraplegic, used a cane to drive during the pursuit.
Police recovered seven grams of fentanyl, some marijuana, and approximately $3,600 cash from Powell.
After Powell’s state arrest, he threatened to kill an individual he believed was working with police.
He was then arrested on federal charges, and after pleading guilty on Oct. 20, 2016, made more threats to a co-conspirator through the use of notes that were sent between cell blocks at Western Tidewater Regional Jail, according to the Department of Justice.
