During his time in office, Attorney General Herring and his team are working or have worked at least 90 cases against dealers and traffickers involving more than 434 pounds of heroin worth more than $25 million on the street.

 

Operation Hardest Hit Targets Portsmouth Heroin Traffickers. Eleven people were arrested across three states this morning for their role in a large-scale heroin and fentanyl drug trafficking organization in Portsmouth. According to the indictment, law enforcement began investigating Leroy Perdue and his drug trafficking organization (Perdue DTO) in early 2016 following the heroin overdose death of a young resident of Chesapeake. According to the indictment, the Perdue DTO distributed in excess of 100 kilograms of heroin (approximately 250,000 doses) over a 10-year period.

Attorney General Herring Announces Ongoing Investigation To Help Address The Opioid Crisis. Attorney General Mark R. Herring announced today that the Commonwealth of Virginia is part of a bipartisan coalition of Attorneys General from across the country in an ongoing investigation to evaluate whether manufacturers have engaged in unlawful practices in the marketing and sale of opioids.

“King of Death" Dealer Pleads Guilty to Heroin and Fentanyl Distribution. A Norfolk man pleaded guilty today for his role in leading a drug trafficking conspiracy that resulted in more than a dozen overdoses and multiple deaths. According to court documents, Erskine A. Dawson, 33, managed more than half a dozen individuals who sold between three and 10 kilograms of heroin from a motel off of Military Highway in Virginia Beach. Dawson's source of supply, a New Jersey man named Kenneth Stuart, a/k/a “Bones," used stuffed animals to conceal the narcotics as they were transported down the East Coast on commercial buses.

Heroin and Fentanyl Traffickers Sentenced to 66 Years in Prison. Five members of a Portsmouth based heroin and fentanyl trafficking organization have been sentenced to approximately 66 years in prison.

15 Arrested In Major Sting Operation Charged In State Court With Firearm And Narcotics Charges. In addition to 12 previously identified individuals who will face federal firearm and narcotics charges as a result of Operation Riptide, an additional 15 individuals have been arrested and charged in Norfolk with firearm and/or drug distribution charges.

Fairfax County Man Pleads Guilty, Sentenced To 10 Years For Conspiracy To Distribute Heroin That Killed User.Attorney General Mark R. Herring announced that Dilpreet Singh pleaded guilty in federal court on May 5 to distribution of heroin and fentanyl that resulted in the death of a man in Annandale. U.S. District Court Senior Judge Claude M. Hilton accepted Singh's guilty plea and sentenced him to 10 years in prison.

Norton Doctor Pleads Guilty to Federal Drug Charge. A Norton, Virginia physician who specialized in urology pled guilty yesterday in the United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia in Abingdon to a federal drug distribution charge…Felix Eugene Shepard, Jr., 56, pled guilty yesterday to one count of distributing oxycodone, a schedule II controlled substance.

Five Members of Portsmouth Based Heroin & Fentanyl Trafficking Organization Plead Guilty.Nathaniel Powell, 33, Ernest Cross, 38, Detuan Gordon, 25, Valerie Wilson, 55, and Marque Wilson, 33, all of Portsmouth, have pleaded guilty to charges related to their role in a heroin and fentanyl drug trafficking conspiracy. According to court records, from March 2012 through July 2016, members of this organization conspired to manufacture and distribute heroin in excess of 1,000 grams.

Heroin Dealer Sold Fentanyl Causing One Death and Multiple Overdoses. Darnell Lee Washington, aka "Dale," 26, of Leesburg, pleaded guilty today to charges related to his distribution of heroin and fentanyl.

Virginia Beach Man Pleads Guilty to Distribution of Heroin Resulting in Death. Gregory Hatt, 28, of Virginia Beach, pleaded guilty today to charges of conspiracy to distribute heroin, distribution of heroin resulting in death, distribution of heroin, possession with intent to distribute heroin and cocaine, and the possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

Members of a Major Portsmouth Heroin Trafficking Organization Arrested in Simultaneous Execution of Warrants. Alonzo Outten, 35; Jerald Outten, 26; Jermaine Jones, 38; and Deyonta Hinton, 31, all from Portsmouth, Virginia, and Garnett Brown, 34, from Chesapeake, Virginia, were arrested today on federal conspiracy charges of manufacturing, distributing, and possession with intent to distribute heroin.

Final Defendant in Massive Heroin Trafficking Group Sentenced. Jerald Outten, 26, of Portsmouth, was sentenced today to 264 months in prison for his involvement in a heroin trafficking operation that was responsible for the distribution of between 30 and 90 kilograms of heroin with an estimated street value between $1.5 and $4.5 million dollars.

Baltimore Drug Dealer Sentenced To 20 Years For Distributing Heroin In Fairfax County. Attorney General Mark R. Herring and Fairfax County Commonwealth's Attorney Raymond F. Morrogh announced that Dartegnon Smith, 36, of Baltimore, Md., was sentenced to 20 years in prison, 14 years of which was suspended by County Circuit Court Judge John M. Tran for the distribution of heroin.

Attorney General Herring Announces Virginia Joining Multistate Task Force To Combat Heroin Crisis. Attorney General Mark R. Herring announced today that Virginia has joined the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic Heroin Task Force (NEMA-HTF), a first-of-its kind task force that fosters cross-state collaboration and leverages resources to combat heroin distribution and the associated rise in heroin overdose fatalities. The Commonwealth of Virginia, through the Office of Attorney General and Virginia State Police, is the seventh state to join the Task Force after New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Maryland, and Maine.

Fairfax County Man Sentenced To 10 Years For Distribution Of Heroin That Killed User. Attorney General Mark R. Herring and Fairfax County Commonwealth's Attorney Raymond F. Morrogh announced that Joseph Gaskins, 25, of Centreville, Va., was sentenced to 10 years in prison with an additional 35 years suspended by County Circuit Court Judge John M. Tran for the distribution of heroin, including a sale that resulted in the death of a 20 year old Herndon man.

Organization Responsible For The Distribution Of Between 30 And 90 Kilograms Of Heroin. Alonzo Outten, 35 and Jermaine Jones, 38 of Portsmouth, Garnett Brown, 34, of Chesapeake, and Latina Jackson, 27 of Suffolk, Virginia, pled guilty this week for their involvement in a massive heroin trafficking operation.  Outten faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years in prison and a maximum sentence of life in prison when he is sentenced on November 2, 2015.

Two Norfolk Men Plead Guilty to Heroin and Narcotics Charges. Cornelius J. Gaymon, 34, and Tedrick O. Speller, 33, both of Norfolk, have pleaded guilty to heroin and narcotics charges. Gaymon, who is a 10-time convicted felon, pleaded guilty today to possession with intent to distribute 23 grams of heroin. Speller pleaded guilty yesterday to possession with intent to distribute 100 grams of crack cocaine.

DC Heroin Dealer Enters Guilty Plea In Virginia. Andre Dwight Williams, 35, of Washington, D.C., pleaded guilty on February 7, 2015 to federal charges of conspiracy to distribute one kilogram or more of heroin. In a statement of facts filed with the plea agreement, Williams, a Washington, D.C. based drug dealer, admitted to selling heroin to dozens of individuals from Orange and Culpeper counties who traveled through the Eastern District of Virginia to meet him.

 

Bronze Key award from the McShin Foundation recognizes the OAG's work on prevention, education, and enforcement. Attorney General Mark R. Herring was recognized with the Bronze Key award from the McShin Foundation for his ongoing efforts to combat heroin and prescription opioid abuse in Virginia. The Bronze Key is a national recognition award presented by affiliates of the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence that recognizes outstanding contributions to the field.

Heroin Documentary Honored By Academy Of Interactive And Visual Arts. "Heroin: The Hardest Hit," Attorney General Mark R. Herring's powerful documentary on the Commonwealth's heroin and prescription opioid overdose epidemic, has been honored with two Communicator Awards of Excellence by the Academy of Interactive & Visual Arts. The film was a winner in the categories "Online Video - Documentary" and "Online Video - Education."

 

 

Statewide Naloxone Expansion. Naloxone is a prescription drug that counteracts the effects of a heroin or prescription opioid overdose. This bill authorized naloxone use by any law enforcement agency in the Commonwealth. It also provided immunity to law enforcement who administer the drug. According to the Centers for Disease Control, naloxone successfully reversed more than 10,000 overdoses between 1996 and 2010. Currently, at least 84 Virginia law enforcement agencies are certified to administer naloxone.

Safe Reporting. This bill encourages reporting of overdoses in progress by establishing an affirmative defense for minor possession or intoxication crimes if a person reports an overdose, remains on the scene, and identifies themselves as the reporter.

Prescription Monitoring Program. This bill allows probation officers to access Virginia's Prescription Monitoring Program to ensure their probationers are not getting opioid prescriptions they are not authorized to have. 

 

Herring Launches New One-Stop Shop For Heroin/Opioid Education And Prevention, Connecting Virginians With Treatment Resources. As the ongoing heroin and prescription drug crisis continues to claim lives and touch families in every corner of the Commonwealth, Attorney General Mark R. Herring today relaunched www.HardestHitVA.com as a one-stop shop for prevention and educational materials on Virginia's heroin and prescription drug abuse crisis, as well as a treatment resource locator to help Virginians and their families connect with treatment resources in their community.

Powerful Documentary To Raise Awareness Of Heroin And Prescription Drug Epidemic. In response to a heroin and prescription drug epidemic that claimed more lives in Virginia in 2014 than car crashes, Attorney General Mark R. Herring is premiering Heroin: The Hardest Hit, a powerful documentary about the danger of heroin and prescription drugs and their impact on Virginia families and communities. The documentary, which was produced by the Office of Attorney General, features Virginians telling their own stories of addiction, overdose and recovery, and it features powerful testimony from parents who lost their children to an overdose, as well as law enforcement and healthcare professionals working to address the problem. The movie, which will be available free of charge to schools, faith organizations, law enforcement, public health organizations, and others, is part of Attorney General Herring's efforts to educate Virginians on these dangerous drugs and prevent abuse and addiction.

Attorney General Herring Releases Overdose Training Video For Law Enforcement. Attorney General Mark R. Herring today released "When Seconds Count: How Law Enforcement Can Save a Life during an Overdose," a new roll call video educating Virginia law enforcement officers on how to recognize and respond to a heroin or opioid overdose. The video, which will be distributed to every Virginia law enforcement agency to share with officers and deputies during their regular shift meetings, will educate officers on the signs of an overdose and what can be done to help save lives.

Herring Praises Federal Investment In Fight Against Heroin/Opioid Abuse. Attorney General Mark R. Herring today praised the $1 billion the United States will invest in addressing the heroin and prescription opioid abuse epidemic through passage of the 21st Century Cures Act.

Herring Partners With Tazewell County Public Schools For Opioid Education And Prevention Initiative. Attorney General Mark R. Herring and Tazewell County Public Schools announced that Tazewell County will be incorporating "Heroin: The Hardest Hit" into its health curriculum, ensuring that every student in Tazewell hears its important prevention message. "Heroin: The Hardest Hit," the award-winning documentary produced by Attorney General Herring, raises awareness of the heroin and prescription drug abuse epidemic and allows Virginians to share their own stories of addiction, overdose, and recovery.