NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — 17 people have been convicted for their role in a large-scale drug trafficking operation in Hampton Roads.
Federal prosecutors say the group distributed fentanyl, heroin, methamphetamine, cocaine and other drugs from at least February 2021 through October 2023, including fentanyl that looked like Roxicodone prescription pills.
Investigators reviewed thousands of phone calls and text communications, and worked with confidential informants, to bring down the network.
The group was led by 47-year-old Chesapeake resident Corey Wright and 48-year-old Malik Dillard, aka “Mayo,” of Virginia Beach. They would procure the methamphetamine, cocaine, and fentanyl from out-of-state and have it shipped to mid-level distributors.
They included: Akime Russell Porter, 41, of Norfolk; Darryl Deangelo Bond, 40, of Chesapeake; Clyde Byrd Jr., 31, of Norfolk; Jared Wayne Haddock, 46, of Virginia Beach; Holly Elizabeth Triplett, 37, of Portsmouth; Christopher Eanes, 38, of Chesapeake; Leo Charles Frueh, 43, of Virginia Beach; Bryan Austin Ruscoe, 27, of South Mills, North Carolina; Julius Justin Freeze, 34, of Virginia Beach; Jesse Ryan Martin, 34, of Norfolk; Richard Olsak-Finn, 44, of Chesapeake; Sebastien Balthazar, 25, of Port-au-Prince, Haiti; and Jessica Brunelle, 40, of Norfolk.
Prosecutors say 45-year-old Aimee Brooke Yanez, of Suffolk, and 46-year-old Norfolk resident Lisa Michelle Clark also were involved by allowing their homes to be used for drug processing.
Wright pleaded guilty to conspiracy to manufacture, distribute, and possess with intent to manufacture and distribute methamphetamine, cocaine, and fentanyl. Prosecutors say Wright received some narcotics hidden in stuffed animals from California suppliers. He was faces between 10 years and life in prison when he’s sentenced on Nov. 1.
Porter meanwhile also pleaded guilty to conspiracy to manufacture, distribute, and possess with intent to manufacture and distribute methamphetamine, cocaine, and fentanyl, and faces between five and 40 years in prison. He’s scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 17, 2025.
You can read the convictions and sentencing guidelines for the other codefendants here.