In a devastating blow to the Hampton Roads drug trade, Donte Demille Hampton, 38, also known as Messiah, was sentenced to 35 years in prison for leading a large-scale methamphetamine trafficking organization in the area.
According to court documents, Hampton, a member of the violent Gangster Disciples gang, was responsible for selling significant quantities of methamphetamine and marijuana in the Hampton Roads area. His organization, which included Mandi Marie Green, 42, of Norfolk, and Antonio Romya Beale, 49, of Norfolk, received, stored, packaged, and distributed meth and marijuana, as well as firearms, at a residence in Norfolk.
On June 10, 2021, investigators searched the residence and recovered 514 grams of methamphetamine, 16.7 pounds of marijuana, THC edibles, four firearms, $5,553 in drug trafficking proceeds, a digital scale, and packaging materials. Other members of the organization include Joseph Grullon, 34, of Norfolk; Benjamin Adam Hogan, 42, of Norfolk; Kenneth Eric Mack, 47, of Chesapeake; William Blake Stennett, 38, of Virginia Beach; Robert Donald Tippit II, 29, of Chesapeake; and Dashawn Fonail Walker, 34, of Norfolk.
Hampton enforced his territory by ordering his organization members to ruthlessly assault his enemies as well as his own employees who stole narcotics from him. A video recording showed an employee being violently pistol whipped and beaten for failing to pay for two ounces of methamphetamine.
Hampton’s co-conspirators have already received their sentences. Beale was sentenced to 30 years in prison on March 31, 2022, after pleading guilty to conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Green was sentenced to 25 years in prison on May 26, 2022, after pleading guilty to the same charges. Walker was sentenced to 24 years and seven months in prison on September 1, 2022, after pleading guilty to conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
Mack was sentenced to eight years and five months in prison on October 27, 2022, after pleading guilty to interference with commerce by means of robbery and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence. Stennett was sentenced to nine years and seven months in prison on December 13, 2022, after pleading guilty to the same charges. Tippit was sentenced to eight years and 10 months in prison on December 6, 2022, after pleading guilty to interference with commerce by means of robbery and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence. Grullon was sentenced to 11 years and nine months in prison on April 26, 2023, after pleading guilty to the same charges. Hogan was sentenced to 12 years and six months in prison on July 20, 2023, after pleading guilty to interference with commerce by means of robbery and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.
Erik S. Siebert, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Elizabeth W. Hanes.
The cases were investigated by the FBI’s Norfolk Field Office, Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (ICE HSI) Washington, D.C., and the Norfolk Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office.
Mandatory facts:
- Defendant: Donte Demille Hampton
- Criminal charges: Conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime
- City and state: Norfolk, Virginia
- Date: October 17, 2024
- Sentence: 35 years in prison
Related Federal Cases
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- John McKernan, Fentanyl Pill Trafficking, Virginia 2023 · Washington
- James Edward Sweat, Operating Significant Drug Trafficking Ring, Virginia 2023 · Virginia
- James Edward Sweat, Fentanyl and Crack Cocaine Trafficking, Virginia 2025 · Virginia
Key Facts
- State: Virginia
- Category: Drug Trafficking
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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