NORFOLK, Va. (WVEC) — A Portsmouth man was sentenced on Wednesday to life in prison and ordered to forfeit $5.7 million for leading, organizing, and supplying a major heroin trafficking operation that resulted in at least on death.
According to court documents, 46-year-old Leroy Perdue, aka Dink, served as a primary leader and organizer of a Hampton Roads-based heroin trafficking organization that distributed over 250,000 doses in a 10-year span.
“Leroy Perdue pumped a massive quantity of heroin into Hampton Roads for nearly a decade,” said G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “This eight-time previously convicted drug felon supplied heroin while armed. He supplied heroin to gang members. He even continued to supply heroin after discovering his drugs resulted in a fatal overdose. This case is a prime example of the power of law enforcement collaboration, and a fitting result for a defendant who choose to destroy families by trafficking opioids. I want to thank our prosecutors and our investigative partners for their extraordinary effort and dedication to this important case.”
In May, following a two-week trial, a federal jury found Perdue guilty of conspiracy to manufacture, distribute, and possess with intent to manufacture and distribute one kilogram or more of heroin; interstate travel in aid of racketeering; and possession with intent to distribute 100 grams or more of heroin.
“With this final conviction and life sentence, one of the largest heroin trafficking operations in Hampton Roads has been completely shut down and we have taken one of the biggest drug dealers in the region off the streets,” said Mark R. Herring, Attorney General of Virginia. “My team and I have worked alongside both federal and local partners to interrupt the flow of heroin and fentanyl that drug dealers like Perdue pump into our communities. Multi-jurisdictional, multi-agency operations like Operation Hardest Hit continue to put dangerous individuals behind bars while also educating the public on the dangers of these drugs. I want to thank everyone involved with Operation Hardest Hit and securing this important conviction.”
On August 14, 2017, over 300 law enforcement agents made arrests and executed search warrants in Virginia, Georgia, and New York. The takedown was a result of a multi-year, multi-jurisdictional, and multi-agency Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force investigation designated Operation Hardest Hit.
According to court documents, law enforcement began investigating Leroy Perdue and his drug trafficking organization, Perdue DTO, in early 2016 following the heroin overdose death of a young resident of Chesapeake. With the participation of nearly two dozen Confidential Human Sources, law enforcement infiltrated the Perdue DTO and made 10 undercover controlled purchases of heroin and fentanyl.
On June 22, the investigative team arrested Rhadu Schoolfield, 33, of Portsmouth, in Norfolk with more than 800 grams of heroin after he returned from a trip to New York. According to the indictment, the Perdue DTO Members of the Perdue DTO were responsible for supplying a violent gang based in Portsmouth and continued to sell dangerous narcotics even after learning that their drugs resulted in death.
Perdue financed the production of a music video for his co-conspirator and cousin, Rhadu Schoolfield, called, “Dumb Hard,” which contained children singing lyrics along with Schoolfield and other co-conspirators that glamorized the drug trade. According to one court filing, Perdue had at least eight prior adult felony drug convictions.
Twelve of Perdue’s co-conspirators, including his son, two cousins, and several close childhood friends were sentenced to a combined total of nearly 170 years of imprisonment.
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