Man Pleads Guilty to Delivering 11 Kilos of Drugs to Virginia

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – A California man pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute heroin.

According to court documents, Adrian Barraza-Pena, 27, of Riverside, was given a recreational vehicle in Riverside and was instructed to accompany another man to Memphis, in that recreational vehicle. On May 12, Barraza-Pena and the other man arrived in Memphis. Two days later, Barraza-Pena and the other man were instructed to start driving towards Virginia to meet a third man at a certain parking lot in South Hill. At this meeting, the man accompanying Barraza-Pena made contact with the third man and gave him a bag, which contained 8.54 kilograms of heroin and 3 kilograms of cocaine.

Barraza-Pena pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute one kilogram or more of heroin and faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison and a maximum of life when sentenced on November 20. 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.

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, Jesse R. Fong, Special Agent in Charge for the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Washington Field Division, Kelly R. Jackson, Special Agent in Charge, Washington, D.C. Field Office, IRS-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), and Colonel Gary T. Settle, Superintendent of Virginia State Police, made the announcement after U.S. Magistrate Judge Douglas E. Miller accepted the plea. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Amy E. Cross, Peter G. Osyf, and Kevin P. Hudson are 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. 4:19-cr-47.