United States Drug Enforcement Administration

RICHMOND, Va. – A Sterling man pleaded guilty today to distribution of fentanyl.

According to court documents, on July 21, 2021, Salahudin Mitchell, 39, distributed more than 56 grams of a mixture and substance containing fentanyl. According to court documents, beginning in late 2020, agents with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)'s Washington Division, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), Virginia State Police, and Petersburg Bureau of Police became aware of the drug trafficking activities of Mitchell and others. This drug trafficking was taking place in Petersburg and elsewhere. A series of nine controlled purchases of fentanyl were made from Mitchell between April 2021 and October 2021.

Mitchell is scheduled to be sentenced on July 29. He faces a mandatory minimum of 5 years in prison and a maximum term of 40 years. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Jarod Forget, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA’s Washington Division; Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Charlie J. Patterson, Special Agent in Charge of the ATF’s Washington Field Division; Colonel Gary T. Settle, Superintendent of Virginia State Police; Kenneth A. Miller, Director of Public Safety, Petersburg Bureau of Police; and Stanley M. Meador, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Field Office, made the announcement after Senior U.S. District Judge Henry E. Hudson accepted the plea. Special assistance was provided by the Petersburg Bureau of Police. Assistant U.S. Attorney Angela Mastandrea-Miller is prosecuting the case.

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