Felon Pleads Guilty to Hampton Roads Cocaine Conspiracy

NORFOLK, Va. – A Norfolk man with a previous federal drug-trafficking conviction pleaded guilty today to conspiring to traffic wholesale amounts of cocaine in and around Hampton Roads and to possessing several guns to protect his drug trade.

According to court documents, in 2014, Daryl Keith Sills, 56, completed a nine-year federal sentence for conspiring to distribute multiple kilograms of cocaine. Two years later, he started up his drug trafficking operation again, distributing at least one kilogram of powder cocaine a month until his October 2019 arrest on the charges in this case.

In 2018, DEA conducted three controlled buys from Sills, totaling 140 grams of cocaine. In 2019, informants observed Sills receive and store in his residence more than 10 kilograms of cocaine. At Sills’ arrest, law enforcement searched his Norfolk and Virginia Beach drug premises, recovering a total of nine firearms, hundreds of rounds of ammunition, 713 grams of cocaine, and 74 grams of marijuana. Sills admitted to his years-long conspiracy and attributed 20 kilograms of historical cocaine weight to himself.

Sills pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine, and two counts of possessing firearms in furtherance of drug-trafficking crimes. He faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years in prison and a maximum of life when sentenced on June 8. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

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; Jesse R. Fong, Special Agent in Charge for the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Washington Field Division; James A. Cervera, Chief of Virginia Beach Police; and Larry D. Boone, Chief of Norfolk Police, made the announcement after Senior U.S. District Judge Robert G. Doumar accepted the plea. Assistant U.S. Attorney William B. Jackson is prosecuting 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. 2:20-cr-002.