WASHINGTON, D.C. – The streets of Northeast D.C. are a little less poisoned today after two key players in the “21st and Vietnam” drug operation received substantial federal prison sentences. Jamiek Bassil, 32, and Charles Manson, 34, both of Washington, D.C., learned their fate in U.S. District Court, facing years behind bars for flooding the area with fentanyl, crack cocaine, and other narcotics – and, in Manson’s case, for a cold-blooded shooting.
U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro announced that Bassil, known on the streets as “Onion,” was sentenced to 135 months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release. He pleaded guilty on March 21, 2025, to conspiracy to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl. The evidence showed Bassil was a major supplier, moving upwards of 80 grams of the deadly opioid in single transactions to undercover officers between January and March 2024.
Charles Manson, alias “Cheese,” received a harsher penalty: 175 months in prison, also with five years of supervised release. Manson’s rap sheet included multiple counts – conspiracy to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and assault with a dangerous weapon. Court documents detail how Manson wasn’t just a dealer; he was a trigger man.
On March 7, 2024, Manson unleashed a hail of gunfire on a dogwalker near the 1900 block of I Street NE, the same area where the “21st and Vietnam” crew operated. The incident, stemming from a verbal dispute, saw Manson donning a ski mask, retrieving a gun from the crew’s stash house, and opening fire. Miraculously, neither the dog nor the walker were struck. This act of brazen violence sealed Manson’s fate, adding significant time to his sentence.
Law enforcement raided Manson’s residence on May 15, 2024, recovering a fully loaded Glock 17 pistol with 22 rounds of 9mm ammunition, additional ammunition, roughly 50 grams of fentanyl analogue, 13.88 grams of cocaine, and the usual tools of the drug trade. Bassil and Manson were both central figures in a crew that openly controlled an open-air drug market around the 2100 block of Maryland Avenue, NE. Their operation brought misery and death to the community.
This case was a collaborative effort through the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF), bringing together the Metropolitan Police Department, the FBI, the DEA, the D.C. National Guard, and the Department of Labor Office of Inspector General. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Andrea Duvall and Solomon Eppel spearheaded the prosecution. While these sentences offer a measure of justice, the fight against fentanyl and violent crime in D.C. is far from over. Case number: 24cr226
Related Federal Cases
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- Maryland Career Offender Sentenced to 14 Years for Fentanyl Ring and Identity Theft · Maryland
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Key Facts
- State: Washington DC
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Violent Crime|Organized Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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