Final Defendant in Virginia Beach Fentanyl Ring Sentenced

NORFOLK, Va. – A Virginia Beach man was sentenced today to more than 11 years in prison for his role in a heroin and fentanyl distribution conspiracy that resulted in an overdose death.

According to court documents, Christopher Allen Bardall, 34, sold at least 550 grams of fentanyl, which could translate to approximately 5,500 individual doses. He did so as a part of conspiracy with Michelle Best, whose drugs killed one young woman, K.R., and caused several other non-fatal overdoses. Best was sentenced on March 14 to 30 years in prison.

Bardall was a street dealer who distributed fentanyl, supplied by Best, directly to K.R. Bardall knew the fentanyl he was dealing was strong and that it had resulted in multiple overdoses by clients of his who used it. On Dec. 17, 2017, within hours of K.R.’s coma and death, officers from the Virginia Beach Police Department located Bardall and arrested him after a vehicle and foot pursuit.

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, 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. Attorneys John F. Butler and Andrew C. Bosse 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 is 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-147-3.