Alexandria Man Sentenced For Heroin, Cocaine Distribution

ALEXANDRIA, VA — An Alexandria man was sentenced Monday in Maryland federal court on charges related to heroin and cocaine distribution.

Darick Knighton, 44, of Alexandria, was sentenced to five years in federal prison followed by four years of supervised release for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance as well as distribution of a controlled substance.

According to the plea agreement, Knighton and others were involved in distributing heroin from December 2018 and January 2020. Prosecutors say Knighton sold over 100 grams of heroin to an informant in Maryland and also sold cocaine. One sale to the informant involved $7,000 for 97.32 grams of heroin with trace amounts of caffeine and fentanyl, the latter of which can be deadly in small quantities.

Law enforcement intercepted Knighton's phone calls starting in April 2019 and identified several of his customers. Prosecutors say Knighton had a longtime relationship with his main source of heroin along with other suppliers. According to court documents, Knighton admitted he knew the drug traffic organization was extensive and that his supplier had at least one source of narcotics outside the DC area.

There were three other defendants in the drug distribution case, including Dwight Andrew Douse, 45, of Newburgh, New York; and Ana Avalos, age 35, of Phelan, California. Avalos was sentenced to 57 months in federal prison in July 2021, while Douse and two other defendants will be sentenced in the coming months. Another defendant remains a fugitive.