Columbia, South Carolina ---- United States Attorney Beth Drake stated that Abdullah Jabbar Aquil, a/k/a “Wap," age 42, of Columbia, plead guilty in federal court to possession with intent to distribute heroin and to being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition, all in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1), 841(b)(1)(C), and 851 and Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(2). United States District Judge Mary Geiger Lewis, of Columbia, accepted the guilty plea and will impose sentence after she has reviewed the presentence report, which will be prepared by the U.S. Probation Office.
Evidence presented in court established on Feb. 3, 2017, after making several controlled buys of heroin from Aquil, deputies with the Richland County Sheriff’s Department executed a state search warrant upon one of Aquil’s residences. Inside they found a Glock.40 caliber firearm, ammunition, and digital scales. A further search of Aquil’s vehicle revealed a little over 9 grams of heroin.
Aquil is prohibited under federal law from possessing firearms and ammunition based upon his prior state convictions for distribution of cocaine, possession with intent to distribute marijuana 2nd offense, possession of crack cocaine 2nd offense, and possession of a stolen pistol. At the time of the incident, Aquil was on federal supervised release for a 2009 federal conviction for felon in possession of a firearm, for which he previously served a 70 months’ term of imprisonment. Aquil’s federal supervised release was revoked in April 2017, and he is currently serving 24 months’ term of imprisonment for that revocation.
Aquil faces a maximum of 10 years imprisonment, a fine of $250,000, and 3 years of supervised release on the felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition charge. On the heroin charge, Aquil faces maximum of 30 years imprisonment, a fine of $2,000,000, and 6 years of supervised release.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) and the Richland County Sheriff’s Department and was prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state and local Project CeaseFire initiative, which aggressively prosecutes firearm cases. Assistant United States Attorney Stacey D. Haynes of the Columbia office handled the case. ##
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
