Cocaine Dealer Sentenced to 25 Years

NORFOLK, Va. - Ernesto Peterkin, age 23, of Portsmouth, was sentenced today in Norfolk Federal court to 20 years in prison for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute cocaine and cocaine base, and to an additional 5 years in prison for possessing a firearm during a narcotics trafficking offense. The sentences are to run consecutively.

According to court documents, Peterkin distributed cocaine in the city of Portsmouth from October 2003 until June 2008. Beginning in 2003, Peterkin received deliveries of crack cocaine at his address on Elm Avenue in Portsmouth. He then sold the crack cocaine to others from that same address. As his distribution organization and activities enlarged, Peterkin moved his operation to the Whispering Oaks section of Portsmouth. From an apartment in that area, Peterkin cooked powder cocaine into crack cocaine and then distributed it to his co-defendants and others for further distribution.

The court documents further state that Peterkin was found in possession of crack cocaine on two occasions by members of the Portsmouth Police Department's (PPD) Special Investigations (SIU) and Tactical Response (TRU) Units. n June 2008, SIU detectives recovered a quantity of crack cocaine and a loaded Taurus 9mm pistol from the driver's side of a vehicle operated by Peterkin. Peterkin's fingerprint was found on the firearm's magazine. Peterkin also had $4,980 in the glove compartment of the vehicle.