A Portsmouth man has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for drug trafficking and firearms offenses. Steven Frederick James, aged 51, was found guilty of possessing cocaine with intent to distribute and possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking.
Court documents revealed that James was a key supplier of firearms and narcotics in the Hampton Roads area. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) identified him as the source of two firearms sold from his vehicle during a controlled buy on January 3, 2024. Further investigations by ATF uncovered that James utilized three residences for narcotics trafficking.
In late February 2024, law enforcement used a confidential informant to conduct a controlled cocaine purchase from James via a third party. A subsequent direct purchase occurred in early March 2024. On March 29, law enforcement searched three properties linked to James. At an apartment in Newport News and inside his BMW, they found two loaded handguns and cellphones. In another apartment at Newtown Arch, they discovered a safe belonging to James containing a kilogram of cocaine, four bags with 83.74 grams of cocaine, methamphetamine tablets, a loaded handgun, and digital scales.
At the Portsmouth apartment where James was staying, investigators seized handguns, ammunition, magazines, digital scales, Narcan boxes, and $5,000 cash stored in a safe. Following these discoveries, James was interviewed and detained.
James's criminal history includes previous felony convictions for firearm possession as a felon and various drug-related offenses.
The sentencing announcement came from Erik S. Siebert of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia; Anthony A. Spotswood from the ATF Washington Field Division; and Ramin Fatehi from Norfolk Commonwealth’s Attorney's office after Senior U.S. District Judge John A. Gibney Jr.'s ruling.
Assistance in this investigation was provided by multiple police departments including Chesapeake Police Department; Portsmouth Police Department; Newport News Police Department; Virginia Beach Police Department; and Norfolk Police Department.
Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Graham M. Stolle prosecuted the case with support from the Norfolk Commonwealth’s Attorney Office.
Further details can be accessed through court documents available on PACER or through the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia using Case No. 2:24-cr-118.