Tenacious task force investigation results in 17 convictions in drug trafficking conspiracy

NORFOLK, Va. – Seventeen members of a drug trafficking organization (DTO) have pled guilty to their roles in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, cocaine, fentanyl, heroin, and other drugs.

According to court documents, from at least February 2021 through October 2023, the conspirators, led by Corey Wright, 47, of Chesapeake, and Malik Dillard, aka “Mayo,” 48, of Virginia Beach, procured methamphetamine, cocaine, and fentanyl from out-of-state sources and had it shipped in wholesale quantities to Virginia for further distribution. They supplied a number of mid-level distributors including: Akime Russell Porter, 41, of Norfolk; Darryl Deangelo Bond, 40, of Chesapeake; Clyde Byrd Jr., 31, of Norfolk; Jared Wayne Haddock, 46, of Virginia Beach; Holly Elizabeth Triplett, 37, of Portsmouth; Christopher Eanes, 38, of Chesapeake; Leo Charles Frueh, 43, of Virginia Beach; Bryan Austin Ruscoe, 27, of South Mills, North Carolina; Julius Justin Freeze, 34, of Virginia Beach; Jesse Ryan Martin, 34, of Norfolk; Richard Olsak-Finn, 44, of Chesapeake; Sebastien Balthazar, 25, of Port-au-Prince, Haiti; and Jessica Brunelle, 40, of Norfolk. Aimee Brooke Yanez, 45, of Suffolk, and Lisa Michelle Clark, 46, of Norfolk, were also involved in the DTO and agreed to use their residences to receive, store, and process the drugs.

This investigation spanned over two years, and involved Special Agents, Task Force Officers, detectives, investigators, officers and other personnel, who reviewed thousands of phone calls and text communications and worked with confidential informants to identify and dismantle this large network of narcotics distributors.

Wright pled guilty to conspiracy to manufacture, distribute, and possess with intent to manufacture and distribute methamphetamine, cocaine, and fentanyl. As part of the conspiracy Wright distributed fentanyl in the form of pressed imitation prescription pills purporting to be Roxicodone. California suppliers shipped packages of narcotics hidden in stuffed animals to Wright, who was previously convicted in U.S. District Court in Alexandria for conspiracy to distribute crack cocaine (Case No. 1:05-cr-183). Wright is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 1 and faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years and up to life in prison.

Porter pled guilty to conspiracy to manufacture, distribute, and possess with intent to manufacture and distribute methamphetamine, cocaine, and fentanyl. He faces a mandatory minimum of five years and up to 40 years in prison. Porter is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 17, 2025.

Eanes and Haddock pled guilty to conspiracy to manufacture, distribute, and possess with intent to manufacture and distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl. On May 17, U.S. District Judge John A. Gibney, Jr. sentenced Haddock to 15 years and six months in prison. Eanes, who faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years and up to life in prison is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 18.

Byrd and Frueh pled guilty to conspiracy to manufacture, distribute, and possess with intent to manufacture and distribute methamphetamine, cocaine, and fentanyl. They face a mandatory minimum of five years and up to 40 years in prison. Byrd is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 3, 2025; Frueh is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 10, 2025.

Bond pled guilty to conspiracy to manufacture, distribute, and possess with intent to manufacture and distribute cocaine and faces up to 20 years in prison. Bond is scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 6.

Triplett pled guilty to conspiracy to manufacture, distribute, and possess with intent to manufacture and distribute methamphetamine. She faces a mandatory minimum of five years and up to 40 years in prison. Triplett is scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 28, 2025.

Brunelle pled guilty to conspiracy to manufacture, distribute, and possess with intent to manufacture and distribute cocaine and fentanyl. She faces up to 20 years in prison. Brunelle is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 10, 2025.

Clark and Yanez pled guilty to maintaining a drug-involved premises. They face up to 20 years in prison. Clark is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 1; Yanez is scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 6.

Dillard pled guilty to distribution of methamphetamine and conspiracy to manufacture, distribute, and possess with intent to manufacture and distribute methamphetamine. On Feb. 2, Dillard was sentenced to 30 years in prison by U.S. District Judge John A. Gibney, Jr. Dillard, working with Wright, supplied Martin, Olsak-Finn, and Balthazar. Martin was sentenced to 12 years in prison; Balthazar was sentenced to three years in prison; and Olsak-Finn is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 4.

Ruscoe pled guilty to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.  Ruscoe faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years and up to life in prison. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct 3.

Freeze pled guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine.  Freeze faces a mandatory minimum of five years and up to 40 years in prison. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 12.

A federal district court judge will determine any remaining sentences after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Derek W. Gordon, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Washington, D.C.; Brian Dugan, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Norfolk Field Office; Damon E. Wood, Inspector in Charge of the Washington Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service; Colonel Gary T. Settle, Virginia State Police Superintendent; and Paul Neudigate, Chief of Virginia Beach Police, made the announcement.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys John F. Butler, Anthony C. Mozzi, Darryl J. Mitchell, and Luke J. Bresnahan are prosecuting the case.

This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

This case is also part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

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 Nos.: 2:23-cr-127; 2:23-cr-65; 2:24-cr-37; 2:24-cr-39; and 2:22-cr-102.