Jerald Outten, Heroin Trafficking, Virginia 2023

Heroin Trafficking Ring Leader Sentenced to 22 Years

NORFOLK, Va. - Jerald Outten, 26, of Portsmouth, was sentenced to 264 months in prison for his involvement in a heroin trafficking operation that was responsible for the distribution of between 30 and 90 kilograms of heroin with an estimated street value between $1.5 and $4.5 million dollars.

According to court documents, Outten personally managed the wholesale distribution of over 24 kilograms of heroin during the course of the conspiracy. He was often observed with a firearm during drug transactions.

Outten, along with six co-conspirators, were collectively sentenced to over 136 years in prison for their crimes. The group was responsible for supplying drugs to two violent Bloods gangs, Gorilla Mafira Piru and Imperial Gangsta Bloods (IGB), both of which have been dismantled, prosecuted, and sentenced.

The IGB in particular was responsible for a number of violent acts in Portsmouth in 2014, including at least two shooting incidents with a rival drug trafficking organization that left homes of innocent citizens riddled with bullets. The IGB's leader, Chris Smith, aka Killa, was sentenced to life in prison plus five years on Oct. 30, 2015. Gorilla Mafia Piru's leader, Theodore Vann, aka Flatline, was sentenced to 16 years in prison on Nov. 16, 2015.

The case was investigated by the FBI's Norfolk Field Office and the Chesapeake Police Department with the assistance of the Portsmouth Police Department, the Virginia State Police, and NCIS. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney John F. Butler, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joseph E. DePadilla and Andrew C. Bosse prosecuted the case.

U.S. Attorney Dana J. Boente praised the coordination between federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, saying, 'This case, and the resources and collaborative efforts used to investigate and prosecute it, is a prime example of the level of commitment and determination we have to combat the heroin crisis in the Commonwealth of Virginia.'

Virginia Attorney General Mark R. Herring also commented on the case, stating, 'This case demonstrates the severity and degree to which sophisticated drug operations try to profit off of the addiction, despair, and pain of others and threaten the safety of the communities where they operate.'

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-edva/pr/final-defendant-massive-heroin-trafficking-group-sentenced-0