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Public Safety, Virginia

Virginia career offender, drug dealer sentenced to more than 13 years in prison

Crystal Graham
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A Richmond man was sentenced to 160 months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for possessing with the intent to distribute approximately 550 grams of fentanyl.

According to court documents, Mario Williams, 55, was a drug dealer who sold fentanyl daily from his car at a car wash and a convenience store in Richmond.

Agents from the Drug Enforcement Administration obtained search warrants and planned an operation to detain Williams.

On March 16, an agent conducting surveillance at the car wash watched Williams engage in multiple suspected drug deals.

Agents detained Williams and searched him, his cars and his home. The agents recovered 549 grams of fentanyl (more than 5,000 individual doses), 47 grams of cocaine base, 12 grams of cocaine and 120 oxycodone pills.

Agents also seized three firearms and an additional loaded magazine.

Williams had more than $1,200 on him when he was arrested.

After his arrest, Williams admitted to dealing drugs.

During the bail determination after his arrest, when asked by the magistrate judge about his sources of income, Williams said, “deal drugs, and I have no idea how much money I make.”

Williams, who was sentenced Thursday as a career offender, was previously convicted of second-degree murder, use of a firearm in the commission of a murder, assault and battery of a police officer, possession of cocaine with the intent to distribute and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

Crystal Graham

Crystal Graham

Crystal Abbe Graham is the regional editor of Augusta Free Press. A 1999 graduate of Virginia Tech, she has worked for nearly 25 years as a reporter and editor for several Virginia publications, written a book, and garnered more than a dozen Virginia Press Association awards for writing and graphic design. She was the co-host of "Viewpoints," a weekly TV news show, and co-host of Virginia Tonight, a nightly TV news show. Her work on "Virginia Tonight" earned her a national Telly award for excellence in television.