Rafaiel Ivey, Heroin Conspiracy, Virginia 2015

Heroin Conspiracy Rocks Virginia Federal Prison

ABINGDON, VIRGINIA - In a shocking case of corruption behind bars, two federal inmates have been sentenced for their role in a heroin conspiracy that shook the United States Penitentiary Lee in Virginia.

Rafaiel Ivey, 38, and Trent Antwine, 50, were sentenced on February 20, 2015, in the United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia in Abingdon for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute heroin.

Ivey, who is currently serving an 188-month term of imprisonment for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon arising out of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, was hit with an additional 84 months of federal incarceration for his role in the conspiracy to introduce heroin into the United States Penitentiary Lee for distribution within the prison.

Antwine, who is currently serving an 188-month term of imprisonment for drug conspiracy arising out of the United States District Court for the District of Alaska, was sentenced to an additional 48 months of federal incarceration for his involvement in the heroin conspiracy.

According to evidence presented by Special Assistant United States Attorney Debbie Stevens, in October 2011, Ivey and Antwine orchestrated a scheme where a visitor would bring heroin into the visiting room of the United States Penitentiary Lee for further distribution within the prison.

The investigation was led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Special Investigative Unit of the Bureau of Prisons. Special Assistant United States Attorney Debbie Stevens prosecuted the case for the United States.

The case is a stark reminder of the ongoing threat of corruption within the nation's prison system and the need for continued vigilance in rooting out such schemes.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdva/pr/federal-inmates-sentenced-conspiracy-possess-intent-distribute-heroin