UPDATE: One of the men charged, Stephen Ron Martin II, pleaded guilty to distributing heroin to a man who later overdosed and died. He is scheduled to be sentenced in January 2015.
Virginia Beach Police say they have arrested 49 people since the last quarter of 2013 to the present in connection to 62 reported heroin overdoses and 25 deaths.
Members of the VBPD’s Special Investigations assigned narcotics detectives to respond to all reported overdoses and deaths to gather info and discover potential leads regarding the drug’s distribution.
VBPD says detectives spent many hours conducting surveillance on known heroin dealers, interviewing heroin users and witnesses and reviewing records, and analyzing the information gathered from every reported overdose and drug related death.
Detectives were able to establish leads on people involved in the distribution of heroin, and ultimately seized heroin, fetynal, cocaine, marijuana, firearms, vehicles and currency all related to heroin cases.
One case involved a large scale heroin distributor operating throughout Hampton Roads.
A 20-year-old Virginia Beach man, Stephen Ron Martin II, has also been charged with Distribution of Heroin Resulting in Death.
Five cases are being prosecuted federally by the United States Attorney’s Office.
Additional cases remain under investigation by the VBPD’s Special Investigations Unit.
