Man Sentenced For Eastern Shore Drug Trafficking

NORFOLK, Va. – Jarrid Delmont Cropper, 41, of Northampton County, Va., was sentenced on September 23, 2013 to 300 months in prison, followed by 5 years of supervised release, for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 5 kilograms or more of cocaine and 280 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing cocaine base, commonly known as “crack” cocaine.
Dana J. Boente, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Justin K. May, Resident Agent in Charge for the Drug Enforcement Administration-Norfolk Resident Office, made the announcement after sentencing by Senior U.S. District Judge Robert G. Doumar.
Cropper waived indictment and pleaded guilty to a Criminal Information on February 19, 2013.  Cropper has sold cocaine on the Eastern Shores of Virginia since 1997.  Cropper was known to travel to Norfolk, Virginia from the Eastern Shore of Virginia to purchase large quantities of cocaine and then transport it back to the Eastern Shore for distribution.  Cropper broke down the cocaine to smaller quantities and delivered multiple ounce quantities of cocaine to mid-level dealers and to users for an increased profit.  Cropper also used and directed couriers to transport the cocaine on his behalf in an effort to avoid law enforcement detection.
This case is the latest in an investigation that has been ongoing for years on the Eastern Shore.  In early 2009, the Drug Enforcement Administration-Norfolk Resident Office, and the Eastern Shore Drug Task Force, consisting of the Accomack County Sheriff’s Office, the Northampton County Sheriff’s Office and the Virginia State Police, initiated an investigation dubbed “Operation Baker’s Dozen,” targeting several known long-term and large scale narcotics traffickers on the Eastern Shore of Virginia.  This was the first federal drug investigation on the Eastern Shore of Virginia in fifteen years.  Initially a local community impact investigation, it grew into a multi-jurisdictional Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation.  This investigation combines the resources of local, state and federal authorities and has targeted the most troublesome criminals on the Eastern Shore who had either escaped prosecution or had received repeated lenient sentences that did nothing to deter them.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration – Norfolk Resident Office and the Virginia State Police Eastern Shore Drug Task Force.  Assistant United States Attorney Laura M. Everhart prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.justice.gov/usao/vae.  Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.vaed.uscourts.gov or on https://pcl.uscourts.gov.