Markenon Blakely, a 40-year-old Goochland man, is headed to federal prison for more than 15 years after being caught with cocaine, crack, and a loaded Glock .45 during a Richmond traffic stop in February 2018. The arrest, which began with officers noticing suspicious movements inside his vehicle, quickly unraveled into a textbook example of a high-stakes drug and gun bust on city streets.
Richmond Police approached Blakely’s vehicle with caution after dashcam footage showed him dipping forward in his seat as officers neared. When repeatedly ordered to exit the car, Blakely refused—forcing officers to physically remove him. A pat-down revealed a loaded Glock .45 caliber pistol tucked into his waistband, over $1,000 in cash in his left front pocket, and nearly half a gram of marijuana in the right. The scene immediately escalated from a routine stop to a federal firearms and narcotics investigation.
A search of Blakely’s car turned up 14.62 grams of cocaine hydrochloride and 2.33 grams of crack—quantities consistent with distribution, not personal use. Officers also recovered a second magazine loaded with ammunition for the Glock. The combination of weapons, cash, and controlled substances painted a clear picture: Blakely was operating as a street-level dealer armed for confrontation.
In January 2019, Blakely pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute cocaine and unlawful possession of a firearm as a convicted felon. He admitted the seized money came from drug sales and that he intended to sell the narcotics found in his vehicle. His criminal history triggered classification as a career offender under federal sentencing guidelines, dramatically increasing his exposure.
The prosecution, led by Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen W. Miller, emphasized Blakely’s repeated brushes with the law and the danger posed by arming himself during drug operations. Senior U.S. District Judge Henry E. Hudson handed down the 15-year-plus sentence as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the DOJ’s targeted push to dismantle violent offender networks through enhanced federal prosecution.
G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Ashan M. Benedict, ATF Special Agent in Charge, confirmed the sentencing outcome. The case, tracked under Case No. 3:18-cr-126, is documented in court records at the Eastern District of Virginia and on PACER. Blakely now faces a long stretch behind bars as federal authorities continue cracking down on armed drug activity in urban corridors.
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Key Facts
- State: Virginia
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Weapons
- Source: Official Source ↗
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