Drug Trafficking Conviction Results In 151-Month Jail Sentence

ALEXANDRIA, VA — Cornelius Frazier, 32, of Arlington was sentenced in federal court Wednesday to 151 months in prison for conspiring with others to distribute more than 7 kilograms of fentanyl, according to a U.S. Justice Department release.

Frazier and others were convicted of pressing illicit pills containing fentanyl and other substances to would resemble prescription pills like Oxycodone with the intention of illegally selling them for financial gain, according to court documents.

“As this case demonstrates, fentanyl is not only extremely dangerous because of its potency, but also because it may be hidden in counterfeit prescription pills,” Raj Parekh, acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, said, in a release. “We are grateful to the numerous law enforcement agencies that worked with our Office on this investigation and prevented kilograms of fentanyl from poisoning our communities and harming our loved ones. Their tireless efforts are saving lives.”

In executing a court-authorized search of Frazier's Arlington residence on June 1, law enforcement officers seized a blender containing about 1 kilogram of a mixture containing fentanyl, according to court documents. Additional materials associated with prescription drug trafficking were seized, including a hydraulic jack, two dust collectors with a large amount of residue, an inductor motor, various cutting agents, and pill presses. Officers also seized several insets that contained markings associated with prescription painkillers such as Oxycodone. Officers also seized approximately $34,828 in U.S. currency and a loaded AK-47. Additional ammunition and other firearms were also discovered at the residence.

Law enforcement officers also searched one of Frazier's vehicles, where they found 5,307 pills that tested positive for fentanyl and two brick-like packages weighing more than 1.6 kilograms that also tested positive for the presence of the drug. In another vehicle, officers found two machines used to create kilogram packages of controlled substances.

The investigation involved a number of local law-enforcement agencies, including the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Washington Division, Falls Church Police, Arlington County Police, Alexandria Police; and the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority Police Department.