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“King of Death” heroin supplier sentenced to life in prison

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NORFOLK, Va. – Kenneth Stuart, 44, was sentenced Tuesday to life in prison for leading, organizing and supplying a heroin and fentanyl trafficking conspiracy

Kenneth Stuart

that resulted in more than a dozen overdoses and at least two deaths.

Court documents say Stuart, also known as “Bones,” served as an out-of-state supplier for a Virginia based heroin and fentanyl drug distribution ring led by Chesapeake ringleader Erskine Dawson Jr, also known as “June” and “Junior.”

From March to December 2016, Stuart supplied between three and ten kilograms of heroin and fentanyl–approximately 7,500 to 25,000 individual doses. The drugs were often hidden in stuffed animals and were trafficked by Stuart and several others from New Jersey to Virginia.

The heroin and fentanyl was distributed in wax baggies stamped “King of Death,” “Last Call,” “Mad Max,” and “Chef Curry,” among many others. Stuart told his co-conspirators about new labels and his desire to have them promoted.

Stuart had 10 previous out-of-state drug convictions and knew that at least two Virginians died from his fentanyl and that several others had suffered non-fatal overdoses. After hearing about one of the deaths, Stuart laughed and said “another one bit the dust.” One co-conspirator told him “people go to life in prison for this,” yet Stuart told his co-defendants to continue selling his product. Two months later, another Virginian died from his drugs.

On December 8, 2016, the DEA, along with officers from the Virginia Beach and Chesapeake police departments, searched motels in Virginia Beach, Chesapeake and Norfolk. They made arrests, seized cash, guns and over 1,800 baggies of heroin and fentanyl.

As of Tuesday, eight people involved with the trafficking organization were indicted, convicted and sentenced. Stuarts seven co-conspirators have been sentenced to a combined 122 years in prison.