Man Sentenced in Drug Trafficking Conspiracy

RICHMOND, Va. – A Drewryville man was sentenced today to three years in prison for his role in a multi-kilograms cocaine ring in Emporia.

According to court documents, George Wyche, 47, entered into a conspiracy in Emporia to distribute cocaine from 2015 to 2017.  Through significant efforts, including surveillance, agents of the FBI and state law enforcement learned that Wyche, Powell, and others were involved in a large-scale drug trafficking conspiracy and that Powell regularly sold cocaine to Wyche for years. As part of the plea agreement, Wyche admitted that he should be held accountable for over 600 grams of cocaine.

The case was investigated by the FBI’s Richmond Area Violent Enterprises Task Force, as part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force’s (OCDETF), Operation Bulls Eye. The OCDETF program is a federal multi-agency, multi-jurisdictional task force that supplies supplemental federal funding to federal and state agencies involved in the identification, investigation, and prosecution of major drug trafficking organizations. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking, weapons trafficking and money laundering organizations, and those primarily responsible for the nation’s illegal drug supply.

G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and David W. Archey, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Field Office, made the announcement after sentencing by Senior U.S. District Judge Robert E. Payne. Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter S. Duffey prosecuted the case.

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-14.