Richmond Man Pleads Guilty to Possession With Intent to Distribute Cocaine and Fentanyl

RICHMOND, Va. — Drequan Keymontay Peoples, 34, of Richmond, pleaded guilty June 2 in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia to possession with intent to distribute cocaine and fentanyl, the Justice Department announced.

The plea covers a single-count federal information charging Peoples with violating 21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1), the statute that prohibits knowing or intentional manufacture, distribution, or possession with intent to distribute controlled substances. Cocaine is a Schedule II narcotic; fentanyl is a Schedule II synthetic opioid.

Federal sentencing guidelines treat distribution of these substances as serious felonies that carry mandatory minimum prison terms depending on quantity and prior record.

The plea agreement establishes factual responsibility for the drugs but does not specify the exact weight involved or any aggravating factors such as distribution within 1,000 feet of a school. Sentencing remains scheduled for a later date set by the court; until then Peoples faces a statutory maximum of 20 years in prison on each count, though the actual sentence will be determined under the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines after a presentence investigation report is completed.

Downstream, the guilty plea requires the Probation Office to prepare that report within statutory deadlines, after which the judge must impose a sentence that includes possible forfeiture of any assets tied to the trafficking. The conviction also automatically triggers a period of supervised release of at least three years and bars Peoples from federal benefits such as certain student loans and food stamps for a set period under federal law.

Federal prosecutors can still pursue additional charges against any co-conspirators or larger trafficking organization linked to the seized drugs.

This case is one of thousands of annual federal opioid and cocaine distribution prosecutions brought by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia, which has jurisdiction over Richmond and surrounding areas. The Department of Justice has made fentanyl trafficking a priority enforcement area since the sharp rise in overdose deaths that began in 2019, using the same possession-with-intent statute to secure plea deals that avoid resource-intensive trials.

Primary sources: U.S. Department of Justice