Cocaine Supplier Pleads Guilty to Drug Trafficking in Hampton Roads

NORFOLK, Va. – A North Carolina man pleaded guilty today for his role in a cocaine-trafficking conspiracy targeting Virginia communities.

According to court documents, Razagin Kaseen Lee, 46, of Elizabeth City, was the North Carolina-based cocaine source of supply for the family-run Jones Drug-Trafficking Organization based in Portsmouth. The organization’s leader, Malcolm Jones, Sr., was recently sentenced to 24 years in prison for his part in the conspiracy, and co-conspirators Corey Jones, Dominic Jones, Raewkon Pierce, and Malcolm Jones, Jr., have all pleaded guilty and are scheduled to be sentenced next month.

Lee participated in this conspiracy for almost four years before he was caught. In September 2019, law enforcement officers searched his Elizabeth City residence and recovered more than 3.2 kilograms of cocaine, two 9mm handguns, more than $213,000 in cash, and two luxury vehicles, all of which are subject to forfeiture.

Lee pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine. Lee faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years and a maximum penalty of life in prison when sentenced on September 16. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Ashan M. Benedict, Special Agent in Charge of the ATF’s Washington Field Division; Colonel Gary T. Settle, Superintendent of Virginia State Police; Col. K.L. Wright, Chief of Chesapeake Police; Larry D. Boone, Chief of Norfolk Police; Eddie M. Buffaloe, Jr., Chief of Elizabeth City Police; and Tommy Wooten II, Pasquotank County Sheriff, made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Raymond A. Jackson accepted the plea. Assistant U.S. Attorney William B. Jackson is prosecuting the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:20-cr-15.