United States Drug Enforcement Administration

RICHMOND, Va. – A Henrico County man was sentenced today to 110 months in prison for drug trafficking and possession of firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking.   

According to court documents, Anthony Sylvester Gaines, 42, rented an extended stay hotel room in Henrico County where he was storing and preparing numerous types of drugs for distribution.  When the police searched the room pursuant to a search warrant, the police recovered approximately 132 grams of cocaine, 9 grams of heroin and fentanyl mix, 29 fake Oxycodone “M30” pills that contained fentanyl and 28 red and green tablets that contained methamphetamine. Additionally, the police seized a loaded 9mm semiautomatic pistol from the counter in the bathroom. Inside of Gaines’ vehicle which was parked in the parking lot of the hotel, the police recovered another loaded 9mm semiautomatic pistol along with two additional bags containing cocaine. Gaines was a convicted felon. Gaines was sentenced to 50 months of imprisonment on the drug distribution charge and 60 months consecutive on the firearm charge. 

Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Rick Edwards, Acting Chief of Richmond Police Department; and Jarod Forget, Special Agent in Charge for the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Washington Division, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge David J. Novak.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Olivia Norman prosecuted the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), which is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

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. 3:22-cr-94.