NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – In a major blow to the Hampton Roads drug trade, federal authorities have convicted four conspirators in a 127-count superseding indictment against a massive drug-trafficking ring. The ring’s alleged leader, Cortez Dayshawn Bumphus, alias Co, has been found guilty of continuing criminal enterprise; conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and distribution of marijuana; conspiracy to launder money; being a felon in possession of a firearm; possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime; maintaining a drug-involved premises; and use of a communication facility in furtherance of drug trafficking.
According to court records, law enforcement first uncovered the operation at Lux Auto in Newport News in June 2021. The conspirators used the auto shop as a base for storing illegal drugs in vehicles parked around the lot. Members were often armed with handguns and other weapons, and over three years, they managed to traffic nearly $400,000 worth of drug proceeds and 1,000 pounds of marijuana.
Bumphus directed operations from outside Virginia, arranging large-scale purchases of marijuana and overseeing couriers who flew in cash for deliveries. Dilquon Best, alias Quon or DQ, was convicted alongside Bumphus for similar crimes, including maintaining a drug-involved premises and using a communication facility to further drug trafficking.
Earvin Jerome Moore, alias Gooch, and Kamani Johnson, alias Komma or Kazz, were also found guilty of various drug-related offenses. Thirty-one other defendants have previously entered guilty pleas in connection with the ring.
A federal district court judge will determine sentences for the convicted individuals after reviewing the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and additional factors. The convictions are a result of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation, which aims to dismantle high-level criminal organizations threatening the United States.
Erik S. Siebert, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Dominique Evans, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Norfolk Field Office; and Jason S. Miyares, Attorney General of Virginia, announced the verdict following its acceptance by U.S. District Judge Arenda Wright Allen.
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Key Facts
- State: Virginia
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Fraud & Financial Crimes|Violent Crime|Public Corruption|Weapons|Human Trafficking|White Collar Crime|Organized Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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