[Archived] Heroin/Fentanyl Trafficking Ring Dismantled

For Immediate Release: October 18, 2018

The following is a duplicate of a press release from the Office of the Attorney General:

TWELFTH AND FINAL DEFENDANT SENTENCED FOR ROLE IN NORTHERN VIRGINIA HEROIN/FENTANYL TRAFFICKING RINGS

~ "Operation Purple Rain" resulted in twelve convictions and prison sentences for members of two overlapping interstate heroin/fentanyl rings who distributed an estimated 5+kilos of heroin and fentanyl in and around Alexandria ~

ALEXANDRIA (October 18, 2018)—Gregory Taylor, 44, of Fort Washington, Maryland, was sentenced today to serve twelve years in prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit racketeering and conspiracy to distribute more than 1 kilogram of heroin for his role in a large, interstate heroin trafficking ring centered in and around Alexandria. Taylor is the twelfth and final defendant to be convicted and sentenced as part of "Operation Purple Rain," a complex investigation and prosecution against twelve members of two heroin/fentanyl trafficking rings who are believed to have distributed more than five kilograms of heroin, worth more than $1 million on the streets, in and around Alexandria. Defendants will collectively serve more than 165 years in prison for their heroin or fentanyl distribution. The cases were co-prosecuted by prosecutors from the offices of Attorney General Mark Herring and Alexandria Commonwealth's Attorney Bryan Porter following an investigation by the Alexandria Police Department and the Virginia State Police.

"Alexandria and all of Northern Virginia are safer with these heroin dealers off the streets and behind bars," said Attorney General Herring. "Heroin and opioid overdoses are taking far too many Virginians from us far too soon, and the fentanyl these rings were distributing can be deadly in microscopic doses on just the first use. I've been tackling the problem with an approach that prioritizes enforcement against dealers and traffickers to curtail the supply of deadly drugs, alongside innovative prevention, education, and treatment initiatives. We're seeing some positive trends, but we know there's a lot more work that we all have to do. I'm grateful to have incredible partners in this fight, like Bryan, Chief Brown and his team, and our colleagues at the State Police, whose good work in this case will save lives and make Northern Virginia safer.

"I'd like to thank my partners at Alexandria Police Department, the Virginia State Police, and the Office of the Attorney General for their diligent and professional work on this investigation. Heroin constitutes a clear and present danger to the citizens of Alexandria, and violence follows the heroin trade as the number of firearms seized in these cases illustrates," said Commonwealth's Attorney Porter. "The collaborative effort between APD, VSP, OAG and my office to bring down two heroin distribution conspiracies constitutes a new paradigm for the investigation of complex heroin trafficking organizations in Virginia. The significant sentences obtained are evidence of the quality of the police investigation and the hard work of the line prosecutors who handled the cases."

Following two heroin overdoses in the City of Alexandria in 2016, the Alexandria Police Department, Virginia State Police, Alexandria Commonwealth's Attorney's Office, and Office of the Attorney General worked together to determine the source of the narcotics. As part of the investigation, it was learned that at least two overlapping criminal organizations were distributing heroin in the city. In March 2017, investigators executed "Operation Purple Rain, arresting and charging 12 defendants, and seizing ten firearms from seven separate defendants, almost a kilogram of Schedule I/II drugs, and approximately six pounds of marijuana.

According to court documents, the larger of the two enterprises distributed several kilograms of heroin onto the streets of Alexandria. Members of the operation also distributed large quantities of heroin to street-level dealers who then sold it in Alexandria. The conspirators also sought to supply firearms to their coconspirators, many of whom were already prohibited from possessing firearms as convicted felons. The members of the larger enterprise included:

• Dwayne Mann, 58, of Alexandria, VA
• Tony Mann, 57, of Alexandria
• Jacqueline McBride, 63, of Alexandria
• Ronald Morton, 40, of Clinton, Maryland
• Tony Dirrell Smith, 33, of Alexandria
• Dennis Starr, 66, of Alexandria
• Albert Taylor, 64, of Alexandria
• Gregory Taylor, 44, of Fort Washington, Maryland
• Tyrone Washington, 39, of Fort Washington, Maryland
• Richard Williams, 65, of Alexandria
  

The smaller enterprise—which included Anthony Terry, 59, of Dumfries, and Robert Hunt, 57, of Alexandria— occasionally intertwined with the larger distribution ring. Terry and Hunt mixed their heroin with powerful synthetic opioids – fentanyl and furanyl fentanyl – that increased the potency of the drug. According to trial testimony, Terry supplied Hunt with these drugs who then distributed the drugs in the City of Alexandria.

The Operation Purple Rain cases have been prosecuted by Alexandria Senior Assistant Commonwealth's Attorneys David A. Lord and Patrick O'Brien and Virginia Assistant Attorney General Marc J. Birnbaum. The cases were investigated by the Alexandria Police Department's Vice and Narcotics Unit and the Virginia State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigations (Fairfax Field Office).

The individuals who have been convicted and sentenced as result of Operation Purple Rain include:

• Name, Age: Robert Hunt, 57
  Hometown: Alexandria, VA
  Charge: Distribution of a Schedule I/II Controlled Substance (3 counts)
  Date of Sentence: 05/31/18
  Sentence: Concurrent sentences on each count of 25 years with 17 years suspended (8 years to serve). Supervised probation for 5 years, good behavior for 10 years, 18 month loss of license
  
  
• Name, Age: Dwayne Mann, 58
  Hometown: Alexandria, VA
  Charge: Conspiracy to Commit Racketeering; Conspiracy to Distribute 1KG or More of Heroin
  Date of Sentence: 08/08/18
  Sentence: Concurrent sentences on each count of 40 years with 34 years suspended (6 years to serve). Supervised probation for 5 years, good behavior for 10 years, 6 month loss of license.
  
  
• Name, Age: Tony Mann, 57
  Hometown: Alexandria, VA
  Charge: Conspiracy to Commit Racketeering and Conspiracy to Distribute 1KG or More of Heroin; Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon (Non-violent felony > 10 years)
  Date of Sentence: 08/03/18
  Sentence: On Racketeering and heroin charge a concurrent sentence of 40 years with 34 years suspended (6 years to serve). Supervised probation for 5 years, good behavior for 10 years, 6 month loss of license. On the firearms charge, 5 years all suspended on the same conditions (concurrent)
  
  
• Name, Age: Jacqueline McBride, 63
  Hometown: Alexandria, (Fairfax County), VA
  Charge: Conspiracy to Commit Racketeering and Conspiracy to Distribute 1KG or More of Heroin
  Date of Sentence: 08/31/18
  Sentence: Concurrent sentences on each count of 20 years with 17 years suspended (3 years to serve). Supervised probation for 4 years, good behavior for 10 years, 6 month loss of license.
  
  
• Name, Age: Ronald Morton, 40
  Hometown: Clinton, MD
  Charge: Conspiracy to Commit Racketeering and Conspiracy to Distribute 1KG or More of Heroin
  Date of Sentence: 09/27/18
  Sentence: Concurrent sentences on each count of 40 years with 25 years suspended (15 years to serve). Supervised probation and good behavior for 10 years, 6 month loss of license.
  
  
• Name, Age: Dennis Starr, 66
  Hometown: Alexandria, VA
  Charge: Conspiracy to Distribute 100 Grams or More of Heroin
  Date of Sentence: 09/27/18
  Sentence: 40 years with 37 years suspended (3 years to serve). Supervised probation for 5 years, good behavior for 10 years, 6 month loss of license.
  
  
• Name, Age: Albert Taylor, 64
  Hometown: Alexandria, VA
  Charge: Conspiracy to Commit Racketeering, Conspiracy to Distribute 1KG or More of Heroin, and Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon (Non-violent felony > 10 years)
  Date of Sentence: 09/13/18
  Sentence: On Racketeering and heroin charge a concurrent sentence of 40 years with 34 years suspended (6 years to serve). Supervised probation for 5 years, good behavior for 10 years, 6 month loss of license. On the firearms charge, 5 years all suspended on the same conditions (concurrent)
  
  
• Name, Age: Gregory Taylor, 44
  Hometown: Fort Washington, MD
  Charge: Conspiracy to Commit Racketeering and Conspiracy to Distribute 1KG or More of Heroin
  Date of Sentence: 10/18/18
  Sentence: Will receive 40 years with 28 years suspended (12 years to serve). Supervised probation for 5 years, good behavior for 10 years, 6 month loss of license.
  
  
• Name, Age: Anthony Terry, 59
  Hometown: Dumfries, VA
  Charge: Conspiracy to Distribute Fentanyl (2 counts); Possession with Intent to Distribute Fentanyl (2 counts); Conspiracy to Distribute Heroin.
  Date of Sentence: 7/19/18
  Sentence: 18 years to serve and a $50,000 fine on each of the Conspiracy (fentanyl) counts; 20 years to serve and a $50,000 fine on each of the PWID counts; 10 years to serve and a $25,000 fine on the Conspiracy (heroin) count for a total sentence of 86 years to serve and a $225,000 fine.
  
  
• Name, Age: Tyrone Washington, 39
  Hometown: Fort Washington, MD
  Charge: Conspiracy to Commit Racketeering and Conspiracy to Distribute 1KG or More of Heroin
  Date of Sentence: 06/28/18
  Sentence: Concurrent sentences on each count of 40 years with 27 years suspended (13 years to serve). Supervised probation and good behavior for 10 years, 6 month loss of license.
  
  
• Name, Age: Richard Williams, 65
  Hometown: Alexandria, VA
  Charge: Conspiracy to Commit Racketeering and Conspiracy to Distribute 1KG or More of Heroin
  Date of Sentence: 09/27/18
  Sentence: Concurrent sentences on each count of 40 years with 37 years suspended (3 years to serve). Supervised probation for 5 years, good behavior for 10 years, 6 month loss of license.
  
  
• Name, Age: Tony Dirrell Smith, 33
  Hometown: Alexandria, VA
  Charge: Conspiracy to Commit Racketeering and Conspiracy to Distribute 1KG or More of Heroin; Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon (Non-violent felony > 10 years)
  Date of Sentence: 7/30/18
  Sentence: On Racketeering and heroin charge a concurrent sentence of 40 years with 36 years suspended (4 years to serve). Supervised probation for 5 years, good behavior for 10 years, 6 month loss of license. On the firearms charge, 5 years all suspended on the same conditions (concurrent)