Hampton Man Convicted of Conspiracy to Distribute Heroin
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – Bobbie Ray Edwards, 66, of Hampton, Virginia, was convicted today for his participation in a conspiracy to distribute heroin, being a felon in possession of a firearm, and witness intimidation.
Neil H. MacBride, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, made the announcement after the jury returned the verdict before the Honorable Arenda Wright Allen.
According to evidence introduced at trial, Edwards was part of a large drug trafficking organization that obtained heroin from suppliers in New York City which was then transported to the Eastern District of Virginia. Edwards and others re-distributed the heroin and sold it to customers in Newport News, Hampton, Williamsburg and throughout the peninsula. In addition Edwards threatened a witness in an effort to prevent the witness from testifying against him at trial.
Following the presentation of over thirty witnesses and approximately 150 exhibits, over four days, the jury found the defendant guilty of all eleven counts of the superseding indictment. Sentencing is set for October 19, 2012, at the United States Courthouse in Newport News, Virginia. Edwards faces a maximum sentence of life.
This case was investigated by an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) led by the Drug Enforcement Agency and the Peninsula Narcotics Task Force which consists of an investigative team that included Newport News Police Department, the Virginia State Police, the Hampton Police Division and the Poquoson Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Laura P. Tayman prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia at www.justice.gov/usao/vae. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.vaed.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.uspci.uscourts.gov.
