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Richmond Man Sentenced to 20 Years for Fentanyl Trafficking

Christopher Raymond Coleman, 38, was sentenced to 20 years in prison for possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia.

By AI ReporterWritten Aug 25, 2026, 5:40 p.m. ET
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This case is not concluded. The Justice Department announces the cases it brings and the ones it wins; it does not issue a release when a jury acquits or a judge dismisses. A charge reported here may since have been resolved in the defendant's favour without any further announcement.

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A Richmond man was on August 25, 2026, to 20 years in prison for possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. The sentencing follows a case (Case No. ) in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. According to court documents, on October 26, 2023, law enforcement searched Coleman's residence and found him in the kitchen next to a table with numerous packages of illegal narcotics and drug-trafficking items. Agents recovered over 670 grams of fentanyl, over 129 grams of cocaine powder, approximately 20 grams of crack cocaine, a box of plastic baggies, scissors, a digital scale, a handgun, ammunition, and two ammunition magazines. Coleman has prior convictions for possession of oxycodone, possession with intent to distribute heroin, and possession of a firearm with drugs, and on another occasion for possession with intent to distribute heroin and possession of a firearm with drugs. After his release from custody on August 29, 2022, he began distributing illegal controlled substances in July 2023 and continued into October 2023. He was also charged on September 6, 2023, with being a felon in possession of a firearm. The announcement was made by Theophani K. Stamos, First Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Christopher C. Goumenis, Special Agent in Charge for the DEA's Washington Division; and Chief Rick Edwards of the Richmond Police Department. Senior U.S. District Judge John A. Gibney Jr. imposed the sentence. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Olivia L. Norman and Katherine E. Groover prosecuted the case.

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  1. Version 125 Aug 2026, 21:40current

    First published.

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