Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

NORFOLK, Va. – A Chesapeake man was sentenced today to 12 years in prison for conspiring to manufacture and deal heroin and crack cocaine throughout Hampton Roads.

According to court documents, Anthony Michael Covil, 33, was a member of a drug-trafficking conspiracy that operated primarily in Chesapeake. In the last five years, Covil distributed at least 700 grams of heroin, some of which was mixed with fentanyl, at least 2 kilograms of crack cocaine, at least 4 kilograms of powder cocaine, and marijuana. He was arrested during a buy-bust in possession of two bags of heroin and fentanyl, two bags of cocaine, one bag of marijuana, and $300 cash in police buy money from previous controlled purchases. Covil also carried firearms during at least two drug transactions.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. The Department reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of a renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.

G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Thomas L. Chittum, III, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ (ATF) Washington Field Division, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Raymond A. Jackson. 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-133.

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