Man Sentenced to Prison for Distributing Over 50 Kilos of Marijuana

NORFOLK, Va. – A Virginia Beach man was sentenced today to three years in prison for his involvement in a conspiracy to distribute 50 kilograms or more of marijuana from California to Virginia and his involvement in laundering the marijuana proceeds.

According to court documents, Jamel Stokes, 26, was involved with several co-conspirators in trafficking large quantities of marijuana from California to Virginia. Stokes would receive the shipments of marijuana from California at two Virginia Beach addresses, and then break down the shipments into smaller packages for further distribution in the Hampton Roads area. Stokes also participated in laundering the proceeds from the sale of the marijuana shipments by depositing proceeds into various bank accounts in Virginia, and on the same day someone in California would withdraw the money from those same accounts.

Stokes also participated in secreting money in boxes and shipping them to California. Stokes was apprehended when a large shipment of marijuana was interdicted at the post office. A delivery of the parcel was made to the address on the shipping label. When a co-conspirator picked the box up, he was arrested and told law enforcement that Stokes had been paying him to pick up boxes full of marijuana and to deliver them to various addresses.

Between the two Virginia Beach addresses Stokes used to take delivery of marijuana, a total of 47 parcels were delivered from Northern California with a total weight of 50 kilograms or more but less than 100 kilograms of marijuana.

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, Kelly R. Jackson, Special Agent in Charge, Washington, D.C. Field Office, IRS-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), and Peter R. Rendina, Inspector in Charge of the Washington Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, made the announcement after sentencing by Senior U.S. District Judge Henry Coke Morgan, Jr. Assistant U.S. Attorneys William D. Muhr and Kevin Hudson 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-146.