Portsmouth Man Sentenced on Narcotics Trafficking and Firearm Charges

25 Years in Prison for Distributing in excess of 1,000 grams of heroin

NORFOLK, Va. – Jeremy Lynn Saunders, 33, of Portsmouth, Virginia, was sentenced today to 300 months in prison, followed by 5 years of supervised release, for conspiracy to distribute heroin, cocaine, and cocaine base, and for possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

Saunders pleaded guilty on Jan. 20, 2015.  According to court documents, from January 2012 to about August 2014, Saunders distributed over 1,000 grams of heroin, over 5,000 grams of cocaine, and over 280 grams of cocaine base through an organization that he helped manage and that he used firearms to protect.  Saunders was found in possession of 39 grams of heroin and a firearm by Portsmouth Police Department officers during the execution of a search warrant at an address located at Seventh Street in Portsmouth on Feb. 6, 2014.

Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; and Karl C. Colder, Special Agent in Charge for DEA’s Washington Office, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Raymond A. Jackson. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joseph DePadilla and Andrew Bosse prosecuted the case.

The case was investigated by the DEA’s Washington Office with the assistance of the Portsmouth Police Department as part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF).  The OCDETF program is a federal, multi-agency, multi-jurisdictional task force that supplies supplemental federal funding to federal and state agencies involved in the identification, investigation, and prosecution of major drug trafficking organizations. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking, weapons trafficking and money laundering organizations, and those primarily responsible for the nation’s illegal drug supply.

A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:15cr2.