NoVA Man Indicted After Guns, 26 Pounds Of Meth Seized

ALEXANDRIA, VA — An Alexandria man accused of keeping firearms near more than 26 pounds of suspected methamphetamine has been indicted on five federal counts, according to court records.

A federal grand jury returned the indictment against Jeffrey Charles Williams on Thursday in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. The publicly available docket identifies five counts but does not specify each charge.

Williams was initially charged by criminal complaint with possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime. He is scheduled to be arraigned at 11 a.m. Wednesday before U.S. District Judge Rossie D. Alston Jr. in Alexandria.

Guns And Suspected Methamphetamine Seized

According to an FBI task force officer’s affidavit, Fairfax County police arrested Williams on an outstanding warrant March 11 as he loaded groceries into a vehicle.

Police reported seeing a rifle and drug paraphernalia inside the vehicle. A search turned up suspected methamphetamine, suspected marijuana, packaging materials, scales, police badges, four long guns, knives, body armor, ammunition, magazines and $1,300, the affidavit said.

Investigators said the suspected methamphetamine weighed approximately 3.42 ounces with its packaging. Williams allegedly acknowledged being a convicted felon and knowing he could not possess firearms but said the guns belonged to his girlfriend, according to the affidavit.

Police later obtained a warrant to search the Leith Place home in Fairfax County where Williams lived. During the April 2 search, investigators reported finding approximately 26.8 pounds of suspected methamphetamine in the bedroom Williams shared with his girlfriend.

The substance was found in several places, including a box, bucket, outside a safe and on the floor, according to the affidavit. Investigators also reported recovering scales, packaging materials, three handguns, two rifles, ammunition and $2,271.

The suspected methamphetamine had an estimated street value of $255,000, according to the task force officer. Field tests identified the substance as methamphetamine, but the affidavit said forensic testing remained pending at the time it was filed.

Williams was arrested April 23 on a Virginia warrant. Later that day, he allegedly told an investigator that he kept guns to protect his family, the affidavit said.

Virginia Felony Cases Dropped

Virginia court records show Williams faced seven state felony charges arising from the March 11 arrest and April 2 search.

The March cases charged him with distributing or selling a Schedule I or II controlled substance for profit, possessing a firearm while possessing a Schedule I or II drug and possessing a firearm as a convicted nonviolent felon.

Charges stemming from the April search included possession with intent to manufacture or distribute a Schedule I or II drug, firearm possession by a convicted nonviolent felon and possessing a firearm with a Schedule I or II drug. A separate case in Fairfax County Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court charged Williams with entering a home to commit assault and battery or another felony.

Court records list all seven Virginia charges as nolle prosequi, meaning prosecutors ended those cases without obtaining convictions. The dispositions came in early May, shortly before Williams’ federal arrest May 13.

A magistrate judge ordered Williams held without bond after finding that no release conditions would reasonably ensure his court appearances or community safety. A district judge subsequently denied another request to revoke the detention order. Williams remains in federal custody pending trial.

An indictment is an allegation, and Williams is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.