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Operation Ceasefire: Portsmouth man sentenced to 50 months on firearms, narcotics charges

Rebecca Barnabi
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A Portsmouth man has been sentenced to 50 months in prison after illegally possessing two firearms, narcotics and narcotics paraphernalia in a busy residential area near downtown Portsmouth.

The case was prosecuted as part of Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares’ Operation Ceasefire, an initiative to combat violent gun crime through rigorous prosecution and effective community prevention.

“This sentencing is a victory for Virginia and a warning to those who seek to destroy our communities with harmful drugs and illicit firearms,” Miyares said. “I’m proud of our Ceasefire prosecution team and remain committed to working hand-in-hand with our local, state, and federal partners to ensure violent criminals remain off of our streets.”

Federal agents from the Drug Enforcement Administration began surveillance of Danny Marcus Collins, 35, on March 16, 2023, in assistance with the Portsmouth Police Department to arrest Collins as a result of two state summonses. While conducting surveillance, the investigative team observed Collins meet with multiple individuals and conduct hand-to-hand transactions from his vehicle. After Collins noticed police, he rolled up the window of his vehicle and fled on foot. Collins was taken into custody.

A Portsmouth police narcotics K9 conducted a narcotics sweep of Collins’ vehicle later, and found approximately 27 grams of cocaine, 8.3 grams of crack cocaine, 2 grams of cocaine, and 7.5 grams of suspected marijuana were recovered. Two firearms (one loaded), $1,183, packaging material, ammunition and a digital scale were also recovered.

Rebecca Barnabi

Rebecca Barnabi

Rebecca J. Barnabi is the national editor of Augusta Free Press. A graduate of the University of Mary Washington, she began her journalism career at The Fredericksburg Free-Lance Star. In 2013, she was awarded first place for feature writing in the Maryland, Delaware, District of Columbia Awards Program, and was honored by the Virginia School Boards Association’s 2019 Media Honor Roll Program for her coverage of Waynesboro Schools. Her background in newspapers includes writing about features, local government, education and the arts.