DOJ: Two women sentenced in large-scale drug ring in Hampton Roads

Two women have been sentenced to prison for their roles in a Hampton Roads drug ring operating out of an auto shop in Newport News.

Amanda Bell, 24, pled guilty on April 26 to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute fentanyl. Bell was sentenced to five years and 10 months in prison.

Farrah Fair, aka “10K Fay,” 26, pled guilty on Jan. 14 to use of a communication facility in furtherance of drug trafficking. Fair was sentenced Nov. 25 to two years and six months in prison.

In total, 37 defendants were charged in a 127-count indictment returned more than two years ago.

According to court records, the investigation into the drug trafficking ring began in 2021. The business was used as a base of operations, storing drugs in vehicles throughout the parking lot.

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Bell was a courier and distributer of drugs and narcotics for the organization, selling marijuana and fentanyl pills. Bell also served as a money courier for the crime organization, traveling between Virginia and California. Bell and a companion were intercepted en route to California with a suitcase containing more than $35,000.

Fair was a courier for the organization who transported marijuana in checked suitcases on commercial flights between a supplier in California and Virginia.

In total, 31 defendants pled guilty to the charges. Four additional individuals were found guilty by a federal jury.

Between August 2020 and August 2023, law enforcement seized nearly $400,000 in drug proceeds and 1,000 pounds of marijuana and contraband at major airports related to the operation, according to the Department of Justice.