John Paul Alarcon, Meth Trafficking And Gun Possession, Virginia 2016

NORFOLK, Va. – John Paul Alarcon, 31, of Virginia Beach was sentenced to eight years in prison for possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

Alarcon was stopped by the Virginia Beach Police on April 29, 2016, and a loaded firearm, 3.4 grams of methamphetamine, and approximately $3,500 in cash were discovered in his vehicle. A search of his home revealed 9.6 grams of methamphetamine, psilocyn, amphetamine tablets, fentanyl tablets, a tablet containing a heroin and fentanyl mixture, oxymorphone, and approximately $2,000 in cash.

“Methamphetamine destroys people and communities,” said Michael K. Lamonea, Assistant Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Norfolk. “HSI, along with our partners at the Virginia Beach Police Department and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, are committed to keeping this dangerous drug out of Hampton Roads.”

Over a year later, while on bond from the Virginia Beach General District Court, law enforcement encountered Alarcon at the Military Circle Mall and seized a bag containing a loaded firearm, 2.9 grams of methamphetamine, 7.9 grams of cocaine, Alarcon’s wallet, and $1,195 in cash.

Prosecutors say this case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program aimed at reducing violent crime and making neighborhoods safer. “Prosecuting armed drug traffickers is a top priority,” said G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “Together with our law enforcement partners, we are targeting areas where firearms and the drug trade are fueling violence and endangering the safety of those communities.”

Attorney General Jeff Sessions reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Darryl J. Mitchell and announced by Terwilliger, Lamonea, Eric Shen, Inspector in Charge of the Washington Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and James A. Cervera, Chief of Virginia Beach Police, after sentencing by Chief U.S. District Judge Rebecca Beach Smith.

The case is a reminder of the dangers of methamphetamine and the importance of law enforcement efforts to keep the community safe. “We are committed to our mission of public safety and will continue to aggressively pursue those who choose to endanger the safety of the communities we serve,” said Terwilliger.

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