An Annandale-based drug dealer will spend the next 15 years in federal prison for possessing nearly 10,000 fentanyl pills with an apparent intent to distribute them.
Marcantonio Juarez Velasquez, 20, was sentenced yesterday (Thursday) in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia — more than a year after his arrest, according to court records.
Juarez Velasquez was first observed by law enforcement “conducting a hand-to-hand narcotics transaction” in June 2024, which resulted in his arrest later that summer, federal prosecutors said.
But while Juarez Velasquez was being taken into custody, law enforcement found more than they bargained for: among other things, 258 fentanyl pills.
A subsequent search of his Annandale residence uncovered an additional 9,220 pills that contained fentanyl, federal prosecutors said.
Juarez Velasquez also possessed two handguns, which is a felony when used in connection to drug trafficking.
For the two charges, Juarez Velasquez ultimately received the minimum sentence under federal law, which placed minimum penalties of five years for firearm possession and 10 years for fentanyl possession.
Juarez Velasquez pleaded guilty to both charges on Aug. 21. As part of the agreement, a second set of the same charges were dismissed.
