Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

RICHMOND, Va. – A Richmond man was sentenced to five years in prison today for using and carrying a firearm during and in relation to a serious felony drug trafficking crime.

According to court documents, on March 10, 2022, Deshan Harris, 21, possessed a concealed semiautomatic pistol while he possessed a half ounce of crack cocaine with intent to distribute it. Police encountered Harris after observing him leaving the area of the Carolina Express convenience store located in the North Highland Park area of Richmond.

According to information presented at sentencing, when the police stopped Harris’s vehicle, Harris failed to comply with the officers’ lawful requests during the traffic stop as Harris concealed the loaded, 9mm semiautomatic pistol under his leg. A subsequent search of Harris’ vehicle resulted in the seizure of 15.9 grams of cocaine, oxycodone pills, over an ounce of marijuana, a digital scale, packaging materials, $852 in U.S. currency and an extended magazine loaded with 9mm ammunition. A search of Harris’s person resulted in the recovery of $1,714 in U.S. currency.

Just eight days earlier, police had seized another loaded, concealed pistol from Harris. According to ballistic evaluations submitted to the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN), Ti’Eric Brooks (Case No. 3:22-cr-79) straw purchased the pistol 28 days earlier. From the time of the pistol’s purchase until its recovery from Harris on March 2, 2022, that pistol had been used in a shooting at the Homewood Suites by Hilton in the City of Richmond and the shooting of a young man off Porter Street.

Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Christopher Amon, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Washington Field Division made the announcement after U.S. District Judge David J. Novak imposed the sentence.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Olivia Norman and Jessica Wright are prosecuting the case.

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.

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 are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:22-cr-80.