Darryl Dacota Riley, Jr., 39, of Washington, D.C., pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to charges related to a drug trafficking conspiracy that operated across the United States and sold PCP, cocaine, and fentanyl in Southeast D.C. The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
Riley, also known as “Slice,” admitted guilt to conspiracy to distribute significant amounts of phencyclidine (PCP), cocaine, and fentanyl. He also pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition by a felon. Judge Timothy J. Kelly accepted Riley’s plea and set sentencing for May 14, 2026.
“Thanks to our prosecutors, a 10-time convicted felon and drug-trafficker is off the streets and behind bars,” said U.S. Attorney Pirro. “Jackson went so far as to target drug addicts seeking rehabilitation by selling drugs outside of rehabilitation and treatment facilities in Southeast Washington D.C., but now he won’t be bringing down this community anymore.”
Court documents show that FBI agents began investigating the Knox Place drug trafficking operation in summer 2024 after identifying an alleged trafficker with a stash house on the 2900 block of Knox Place SE. Agents determined Riley was a bulk PCP supplier within the group.
Riley is the third person to plead guilty following an investigation that led to the arrests of fourteen individuals in August 2025 when authorities executed 20 search warrants across Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Los Angeles. During these operations, law enforcement seized firearms, narcotics including cocaine and fentanyl, equipment used for processing drugs, and over $100,000 in cash.
The Knox Place area has seen multiple violent crimes over the past year. Investigators found that local traffickers sourced drugs through a Baltimore-based co-conspirator who imported narcotics from California. One intercepted shipment from California included 17 gallons of PCP stopped by law enforcement near Topeka, Kansas.
On August 26, 2025, investigators searched Riley’s residence on Naylor Road SE and recovered cocaine, crack cocaine, fentanyl, methamphetamine, cash totaling more than $20,000 as well as three loaded firearms—including one without a serial number.
FBI Assistant Director in Charge Darren B. Cox joined U.S. Attorney Pirro in announcing the plea. The case was investigated by the FBI Washington Field Office with help from DEA and MPD personnel. Prosecution is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew W. Kinskey, Sarah Akhtar, and John Crabb from the Violent Crime and Narcotics Trafficking Section.
