RICHMOND, Va. – A man from Hopewell has been sentenced to five years and three months in prison for possession with intent to distribute cocaine and fentanyl. Court documents reveal that on Aug. 22, 2022, Hopewell police came across an Audi vehicle stopped within a trailer park's roadway. Upon illuminating the vehicle, the driver, Riezon Mekhi Murphy, 24, turned off his headlights and reversed down the road to a grassy area. At this point, two other individuals who had been seated together in the front passenger seat of the Audi exited the car and raised their hands.
An officer asked Murphy to lower his window and observed an open bottle of tequila and money scattered about the car. During a lawful search of the Audi, investigators found a loaded 9mm pistol under the driver seat and a gray backpack in the back passenger area belonging to Murphy. The backpack contained $1000 in cash along with several individual baggies that held approximately 45 grams of heroin/fentanyl mixture, 4.7 grams of fentanyl, 26 grams of cocaine, 96 grams of methamphetamine, and 220 grams of marijuana.
Murphy had previous convictions for distributing marijuana and possessing a .380 caliber handgun. Six months later, he was convicted for possession of marijuana and a concealed firearm. Four months after that conviction, Murphy was again arrested and convicted for selling Schedule I or II controlled substances and driving on a suspended license. He was discharged from supervised probation on Feb. 7, 2022 - six months before his arrest in this case.
The announcement came after sentencing by Senior U.S. District Judge Robert E. Payne from Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Jason Miyares, Attorney General of Virginia; Craig Kailimai, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Washington Field Division; and Greg Taylor, Chief of Hopewell Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Peter S. Duffey and former Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Devon E. Schulz, an Assistant Attorney General with the Virginia Attorney General’s Office, prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release can be found on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are available on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:23-cr-101.