PORTSMOUTH, Va. — A Portsmouth man was sentenced to more than four years in prison on drug and firearm charges, Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares announced Thursday.
According to Miyares' office, Danny Marcus Collins, 35, was accused of illegally possessing two firearms, narcotics and narcotics paraphernalia in a busy area near downtown Portsmouth.
His arrest happened on March 16, 2023, when the Drug Enforcement Administration started surveilling Collins to help the Portsmouth Police Department in arresting him on two state charges.
Miyares' office wrote in a news release that investigators saw Collins meet with several people and doing hand-to-hand transactions from his vehicle. When Collins noticed the police, he rolled up the window of his vehicle and ran off, but he was taken into custody.
A narcotics K9 with the Portsmouth Police Department did a narcotics sweep of Collins' vehicle, resulting in a positive alert.
A search of the vehicle resulted in the discovery of around 27 grams of cocaine, 8.3 grams of crack cocaine, two grams of cocaine, and 7.5 grams of suspected marijuana, according to Miyares' office, which said police also recovered two firearms, nearly $1,200, packaging material, ammunition and a digital scale.
Miyares' office said the prosecution was part of Operation Ceasefire, an initiative to combat violent gun crimes.
“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 wrote in a news release. “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.”
