Man Sentenced to 2 ½ Years Following Jury Conviction for Possessing With Intent to Distribute More Than 160 Grams of Fentanyl Mixed With Xylazine

NORFOLK, Va. — Jamel Alim Yancey, 48, was sentenced on Thursday to serve two years and six months in prison after a jury convicted him of possessing with the intent to distribute more than 160 grams of illegal substances, including fentanyl mixed with xylazine, that police found on Mr. Yancey’s person during an arrest last year.

Just after midnight on June 9, 2024, Norfolk Police patrol officers saw Mr. Yancey at a gas station on Chesapeake Boulevard in the driver’s seat of his car with an open container of alcohol in the cupholder. Because having an open container of alcohol in an automobile is illegal under Virginia law, the officers asked him to step out of the car. Mr. Yancey was visibly under the influence of drugs or alcohol, the officers saw him drop a straw with powder residue on the ground, and they saw powder spilled onto Mr. Yancey’s clothes. Mr. Yancey was also wearing a hat and holding a satchel. When the officers searched Mr. Yancey, they found a folded dollar bill with powder residue tucked under Mr. Yancey’s hat and found a container with suspected drugs, multiple smaller bags with more suspected drugs, a digital scale, and two phones inside Mr. Yancey’s satchel. Mr. Yancey was also found to have multiple outstanding warrants in other jurisdictions.

Mr. Yancey claimed that all of the drugs were for his own use and that he has a history of substance abuse. Subsequent forensic testing showed that Mr. Yancey was in possession of more than 160 grams — an amount consistent with an intent for distribution — of a mixture of the opioid fentanyl and the veterinary tranquilizer xylazine, plus a much smaller amount — consistent with personal use — of other controlled drugs including heroin and cocaine. The mixture of fentanyl and xylazine, known by the street name “tranq,” is a combination of particular concern to health experts, because xylazine has effects on users that lifesaving overdose drugs, such as Narcan, cannot reverse, and, when injected, xylazine can cause severe flesh wounds. As a result of their investigation, police secured charges against Mr. Yancey for possessing Schedule I/II substances and possessing Schedule I/II substances with the intent to distribute.

Mr. Yancey chose to plead not guilty to his charges and be tried by a jury. On Feb. 27, after hearing the evidence and arguments from the Commonwealth and defense, the jury found Mr. Yancey guilty as charged.

At Mr. Yancey’s sentencing hearing on Thursday, the Commonwealth argued that Mr. Yancey should serve three years in prison, which was the midpoint recommendation from his state sentencing guidelines. Mr. Yancey’s defense counsel argued that Mr. Yancey should serve the low-end recommendation of one year and nine months in prison due to his history of substance abuse and declining health. After hearing the arguments, Judge Joseph C. Lindsey, who presided over Mr. Yancey’s trial, sentenced Mr. Yancey to serve two years and six months in prison and suspended another 12 years and six months on the conditions that Mr. Yancey comply with supervised probation for three years following his release and remain of uniform good behavior for five years.

“Every trial is a test of the evidence in a case, and every contested sentencing is the opportunity for the Commonwealth and the defense to argue for what they feel is a fair sentence,” said Commonwealth’s Attorney Ramin Fatehi. “We appreciate the diligence of the jury at trial and of the judge in his careful weighing of the arguments from both parties. Mr. Yancey did wrong in distributing dangerous drugs, even if he was doing it to feed his own habit. We hope that Mr. Yancey will make the most of the opportunities for rehabilitation while in custody and on his release so that we do not see Mr. Yancey in court again.”

Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney J. Drew Fairbanks prosecuted Mr. Yancey’s case, Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Anthony J. Balady aided Mr. Fairbanks at trial, and Norfolk Police Detective Robert E. Broadbent led the investigation.

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Feb. 28, 2025

Jury Convicts Man of Possessing With Intent to Distribute More Than 160 Grams of Schedule I/II Drugs Including Fentanyl Mixed With Xylazine

NORFOLK, Va. — A jury convicted Jamel Alim Yancey, 48, on Thursday of possessing Schedule I/II drugs and possessing Schedule I/II drugs with the intent to distribute when police found more than 160 grams of illegal substances on Mr. Yancey’s person during an arrest last year.

Just after midnight on June 9, 2024, Norfolk Police patrol officers saw Mr. Yancey at a gas station on Chesapeake Boulevard in the driver’s seat of his car with an open container of alcohol in the cupholder. Because having an open container of alcohol in an automobile is illegal under Virginia law, the officers asked him to step out of the car. Mr. Yancey was visibly under the influence of drugs or alcohol, the officers saw him drop a straw with powder residue on the ground, and they saw powder spilled onto Mr. Yancey’s clothes. Mr. Yancey was also wearing a hat and holding a satchel. When the officers searched Mr. Yancey, they found a folded dollar bill with powder residue tucked under Mr. Yancey’s hat and found a container with suspected drugs, multiple smaller bags with more suspected drugs, a digital scale, and two phones inside Mr. Yancey’s satchel. Mr. Yancey was also found to have multiple outstanding warrants in other jurisdictions.

Mr. Yancey claimed that all of the drugs were for his own use and that he has a history of substance abuse. Subsequent forensic testing showed that Mr. Yancey was in possession of more than 160 grams — an amount consistent with an intent for distribution — of a mixture of the opioid fentanyl and the veterinary tranquilizer xylazine, plus a much smaller amount — consistent with personal use — of other controlled drugs including heroin and cocaine. The mixture of fentanyl and xylazine, known by the street name “tranq,” is a combination of particular concern to health experts, because xylazine has effects on users that lifesaving overdose drugs, such as Narcan, cannot reverse, and, when injected, xylazine can cause severe flesh wounds.

As a result of their investigation, police secured charges against Mr. Yancey for possessing Schedule I/II substances and possessing them with the intent to distribute. Mr. Yancey chose to plead not guilty to his charges and be tried by a jury.

On Thursday, after hearing the evidence and arguments from the Commonwealth and defense, the jury found Mr. Yancey guilty as charged. Judge Joseph C. Lindsey, who presided over Mr. Yancey’s trial, set his sentencing hearing on April 17.

“The United States remains in an overdose crisis, with the advent of ‘tranq’ threatening to undo the progress that we have started to make as a nation,” said Commonwealth’s Attorney Ramin Fatehi. “We have secured a conviction in this case, and we will seek appropriate accountability at sentencing, including drug treatment, but if we want to address the root causes of drug dealing and drug addiction, we must invest in our communities, especially in evidence-based treatment for substance-use disorder outside of the criminal justice system. Otherwise, we will continue to watch history repeat itself in the courtroom.”

Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney J. Drew Fairbanks is prosecuting Mr. Yancey’s case, Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Anthony J. Balady aided Mr. Fairbanks at trial, and Norfolk Police Detective Robert E. Broadbent led the investigation.

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