NORFOLK, Va. — Two men have now pleaded guilty for their roles in a plot to distribute fentanyl that had been buried outside of a home in Isle of Wight.
Ronald Devon Matthews, 39, was arrested at his home in Isle of Wight County for firearm charges in August 2022. While Matthews served his six years and nine months in prison, he authorized Demetris Alexander Daniels, 34, of Hampton, to stay at his residence.
Court documents say that before Matthews was arrested, he buried 383.02 grams of fentanyl in the ground outside of his home for future distribution. While incarcerated at the Petersburg Federal Correctional Complex in May 2023, Matthews drew a map of his property that showed where he buried the fentanyl.
He then transferred the map to Daniels so that the fentanyl could be sold, contacting a witness in the case and soliciting them to help Daniels retrieve it.
In early summer of 2023, Daniels unsuccessfully tried to find the fentanyl by digging in the yard. The witness agreed to meet up with him to look for it on June 18, 2023.
But they would never get the chance. A search warrant was executed on June 16, with Daniels present, by the Isle of Wight Sheriff's Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. In Daniels' bedroom, investigators discovered Matthews' map.
Following the map, authorities discovered the spot where the drugs were buried and uncovered a container with the fentanyl inside.
On Sept. 30, Matthews pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl. He is scheduled to appear in court for his sentencing on April 11, 2025 and faces a minimum of five years and a maximum of 40 years in prison.
Daniels pleaded guilty Oct. 7, to being an accessory after the fact to maintaining a drug-involved premises. He will be sentenced on May 1, 2025, and faces up to 10 years in prison.
