Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

NORFOLK, Va. – A Franklin man was sentenced today to over eight years in prison for being a felon in possession of firearms and possessing firearms in furtherance of drug-trafficking crimes.

According to court documents, Loron Barnes, 25, was pulled over for driving 67 miles an hour in a 35-mile-an-hour zone roughly a block from the local police station. After officers smelled marijuana coming from the vehicle, they conducted a search and found contraband in every part of the car, including an AK-type rifle loaded with 57 rounds of ammunition in two extended magazines taped together sitting on the back seat next to a black ski mask and suspected marijuana; a loaded, stolen handgun underneath the driver seat; heroin, cocaine, amphetamine, and a digital scale in the driver’s-side-door pocket; more heroin in the center console; more cocaine in the front passenger-side door pocket; two boxes of .45 caliber ammo on the front-passenger-seat floor; and an empty handgun magazine in the driver’s-side-door armrest. Police discovered more than 26 grams of heroin and more than 20 grams of cocaine.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), which is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts.  PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Ashan M. Benedict, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ (ATF) Washington Field Division; Michael K. Lamonea, Assistant Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Norfolk; and Robert Porti, Deputy Chief of the City of Franklin Police Department, made the announcement after sentencing by Senior U.S. District Judge Robert G. Doumar. Assistant U.S. Attorney William B. Jackson prosecuted the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information is located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:18-cr-118.

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