RICHMOND, Va. – Two Petersburg gang members were sentenced to a combined 25 years in prison for drug and firearms trafficking crimes. Autrelle Malik Waddell, 22, and Titus Maurice Lee, 44, are members of the High Society Hit Squad, a gang operating in Petersburg.
G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, emphasized the importance of fighting violent crime in Petersburg. "In March we announced a significant law enforcement operation that involved over 150 federal agents executing arrest and search warrants in Petersburg," said Terwilliger.
According to court documents, Waddell was indicted for trafficking heroin, fentanyl and acetyl fentanyl, and was held responsible for the sale of eight firearms during the course of the investigation. One of the firearms Waddell sold had an obliterated serial number, and another was identified as a Mac-10 semi-automatic firearm with a high capacity magazine.
Lee, who is Waddell’s uncle, was also charged in a criminal indictment with distributing “crack” cocaine, heroin, and fentanyl, and was held responsible for trafficking eight separate firearms.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. “My top priority is the safety of the citizens of Petersburg and cleaning up our streets,” said Kenneth A. Miller, Director of Public Safety, Petersburg Bureau of Police.
Waddell was sentenced to nine years, while Lee was sentenced to 16 years for their respective involvement in the drug and firearm trafficking conspiracy.
“Firearms trafficking is not a victimless crime,” said Ashan M. Benedict, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ (ATF) Washington Field Division. “When firearms are diverted to the illicit market, they often become tools of the trade for criminals.”
Related Federal Cases
- Donna Byrd Talley, Hydrocodone Pill Trafficking, Virginia 2024 · Virginia
- Terry Glenn Williams, Heroin Trafficking, VA 2024 · Virginia
- Frederick A. McShan, Heroin Trafficking, Ohio 2024 · Washington
- Linda Vannatter, Oxycodone Trafficking, West Virginia 2024 · Virginia
- Bradley Temple, Unlawful Money Transactions, West Virginia, 2023 · Washington
Key Facts
- State: Virginia
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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