Armed Drug Dealer Sentenced for Drug Trafficking and Possessing Firearms

NORFOLK, Va. – A Chesapeake man was sentenced today to more than five years in prison for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and possession of firearms by an unlawful user of a controlled substance.

“Youngblood was an armed drug dealer who profited off of the misery of others,” said G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “Additionally, this case represents the serious danger that armed drug dealers and armed drug users pose to first responders. In this case, officers found Youngblood unconscious in his bedroom, overdosed on a mixture of cocaine and fentanyl and surrounded by four loaded handguns, $5,000 in cash, ammunition, and other drugs. This situation clearly endangered the safety of those responsible for saving his life. My sincere thanks to the Chesapeake Police, medical first responders and our federal law enforcement partners for their terrific work on this case.”

According to court documents, between December 2016 and November 2017, Marc Louie Youngblood, Jr., 51, received approximately 16 United States Mail parcels containing methamphetamine from California to an auto parts store where he worked in Norfolk. Youngblood sold this methamphetamine in Chesapeake and was also a habitual user of methamphetamine and marijuana during this time.

"Drugs like heroin and methamphetamine destroy lives and communities, and Youngblood not only participated in the furtherance of this destruction, but as a user, nearly lost his own life to these substances,” said Michael K. Lamonea, Assistant Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Norfolk. “Let Youngblood’s case serve as a lesson to others that HSI and its law enforcement partners will continue to crack down on narcotics trafficking in the local area to protect the lives of others."

In November 2017, Chesapeake Police responded to an overdose call at a residence in Chesapeake and found Youngblood unconscious on his bedroom floor. The police observed marijuana, drug paraphernalia and firearms in plain view in Youngblood’s bedroom. After Youngblood was transported to the hospital, CPD obtained a search warrant for his room. The search yielded four loaded handguns, $5,000 in cash, ammunition, 40 grams of marijuana, 23 grams of “ice” (methamphetamine) and several memory card storage discs containing multiple videos depicting Youngblood smoking methamphetamine and using heroin. It was later determined that Youngblood overdosed after injecting a mixture of cocaine and fentanyl, commonly referred to as a “speedball.”

“Postal Inspectors work aggressively to eliminate illegal narcotics from the U.S. Mail. Our strong dedication to these efforts helps us to protect both our employees and the public from this criminal activity,” said Peter R. Rendina, Inspector in Charge, U.S. Postal Inspection Service –Washington Division. “In addition, we maintain excellent relationships with our local, state and federal law enforcement partners and from this, we end up with successful resolutions like we did in this investigation.”

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), which is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Michael K. Lamonea, Assistant Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Norfolk, Peter R. Rendina, Inspector in Charge of the Washington Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Col. K.L. Wright, Chief of Chesapeake Police, and James A. Cervera, Chief of Virginia Beach Police, made the announcement after sentencing by Chief U.S. District Judge Mark S. Davis. Assistant U.S. Attorney Darryl Mitchell prosecuted the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:18-cr-139-1.