NORFOLK, Va. – A Portsmouth man was sentenced today to life in prison and ordered to forfeit $5.7 million for leading, organizing, and supplying a major heroin trafficking operation that resulted in at least one death.
Leroy Perdue, 46, aka ‘Dink,’ ‘Big Heat,’ was found guilty of conspiracy to manufacture, distribute, and possess with intent to manufacture and distribute one kilogram or more of heroin; interstate travel in aid of racketeering; and possession with intent to distribute 100 grams or more of heroin.
According to court documents, Perdue served as the primary leader and organizer of a Hampton Roads-based heroin trafficking organization that distributed in excess of 100 kilograms of heroin (approximately 250,000 doses) over a 10-year period.
In May, following a two-week trial, a federal jury found Perdue guilty of the aforementioned crimes. This is not the first time Perdue has been convicted of a crime. He is an eight-time previously convicted drug felon.
“Leroy Perdue pumped a massive quantity of heroin into Hampton Roads for nearly a decade,” said G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “This case is a prime example of the power of law enforcement collaboration, and a fitting result for a defendant who chose to destroy families by trafficking opioids.
The investigation, known as Operation Hardest Hit, was a multi-year, multi-jurisdictional, and multi-agency Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation that resulted in the arrest of over 300 law enforcement agents and the execution of search warrants in Virginia, Georgia, and New York on Aug. 14, 2017.
“For years this defendant and his associates preyed on vulnerable people for profit and greed,” said Martin Culbreth, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Norfolk Division. “They celebrated and bragged about their criminal enterprise, and showed no concern for its impact on the community or remorse when they learned their crimes resulted in death.
The defendant was sentenced to life in prison and ordered to forfeit $5.7 million. He will also face further penalties for his crimes.
Key Facts
- State: Virginia
- Category: Drug Trafficking
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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