Felon Sentenced for Gang-Related Fentanyl Trafficking and Illegal Possession of a Semi-Automatic Pistol

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – An Alexandria man was sentenced yesterday to over 10 years in prison for distributing thousands of fentanyl-laced pills.

According to court documents, Dashawn Dontia Blassingame, 24, between at least April of 2021 and May of 2022, conspired with others to distribute counterfeit pills bearing the appearance of pharmaceutically produced Oxycodone, but that in fact contained fentanyl. During that same time frame, the defendant also possessed firearms, including a semi-automatic pistol, while being prohibited from doing so due to his multiple prior felony convictions.

According to court records, the defendant and some of his co-conspirators were members of the Rollin’ 60s Neighborhood Crips criminal street gang. The members of the conspiracy arranged for parcels containing thousands of counterfeit pills containing fentanyl to be mailed to Virginia from Arizona for further redistribution. The defendant was charged after a package containing over 7,000 counterfeit pills containing fentanyl, destined for the defendant and his co-conspirators, tore open in the ordinary course of mail delivery and was seized by law enforcement. The defendant and his co-conspirators worked together to distribute these pills containing fentanyl in Northern Virginia and elsewhere for a profit. Prior to his arrest on the federal charges, the defendant had multiple Virginia state convictions, including felony eluding of police, being a felon in possession of ammunition, and multiple convictions for felony possession of controlled drugs.

Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Wayne A. Jacobs, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office Criminal Division, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Rossie D. Alston.

The U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Prince William County Police Department provided significant assistance on this case.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ryan Bredemeier and Heather Call prosecuted the case.

This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

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. 1:23-cr-19.