RICHMOND, Va. - Two Petersburg gang members were sentenced today to a combined 25 years in prison for drug and firearms trafficking crimes.
“In March we announced a significant law enforcement operation that involved over 150 federal agents executing arrest and search warrants in Petersburg," said G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “The U.S. Attorney’s Office, along with our law enforcement partners at the Petersburg Police Department and the ATF, has made fighting violent crime in Petersburg a top priority, and we are surging our respective finite resources to Petersburg to investigate and prosecute criminal activity. On Wednesday, I spent six hours with Chief Miller and ATF Supervisors Shawn Morrow and Scott Fulkerson as we walked the streets in some of the hardest hit areas in Petersburg. Areas where children play next to broken glass from shot up vehicles, where drug dealers scurried for the shadows as we approached, and where blighted homes are being used as drug dens. EDVA is committed to working with Chief Miller and the Petersburg Police, the ATF, and our other law enforcement partners to continue to combat violent crime, drug trafficking, human trafficking, and any other offenses with a federal nexus in Petersburg."
According to court documents, Autrelle Malik Waddell, 22, and Titus Maurice Lee, 44, are members of the High Society Hit Squad, a gang operating in Petersburg. The men were arrested in March 2019 and charged, along with two others, in a federal indictment with multiple firearms and narcotics trafficking crimes. According to court documents, Waddell was indicted for trafficking heroin, fentanyl and acetyl fentanyl, and was held responsible for the sale of eight firearms during the course of the investigation. One of the firearms Waddell sold had an obliterated serial number, and another was identified as a Mac-10 semi-automatic firearm with a high capacity magazine. Lee, who is Waddell’s uncle, was also charged in a criminal indictment with distributing “crack" cocaine, heroin, and fentanyl, and was held responsible for trafficking eight separate firearms.
“This investigation highlights ATF's partnership with Petersburg Police and our commitment to making our communities safer," said Ashan M. Benedict, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ (ATF) Washington Field Division. “Firearms trafficking is not a victimless crime. When firearms are diverted to the illicit market, they often become tools of the trade for criminals. If you traffic in firearms or use firearms to commit other crimes, ATF is fully dedicated to bringing you to justice."
“My top priority is the safety of the citizens of Petersburg and cleaning up our streets. As shown in this case, my department works closely with our law enforcement partners to keep firearms out of the hands of criminals and keep dangerous drugs out of our community," said Kenneth A. Miller, Director of Public Safety, Petersburg Bureau of Police. “If you violate the law or if you harm our community, the Petersburg Police will use every tool at our disposal to see that you are held accountable."
Waddell was sentenced to nine years, while Lee was sentenced to 16 years for their respective involvement in the drug and firearm trafficking conspiracy.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), which is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Ashan M. Benedict, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ (ATF) Washington Field Division, and Kenneth A. Miller, Director of Public Safety, Petersburg Bureau of Police, made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Angela Mastandrea-Miller and Kenneth Simon are prosecuting the cases.
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. 3:19-cr-36.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
