NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – A Hampton man has been found guilty on charges of conspiracy, drug and firearm charges.
A federal jury convicted 39-year-old Jonathan C. Long on Thursday.
According to court records and evidence presented at trial, on November 15, 2021, Long was arrested for failing to appear on a federal supervised release violation.
Police did a search of the residence that had been leased by Long's then girlfriend, now wife. They say the search revealed distribution quantities of fentanyl, cocaine base, hundreds of vials for distribution to users, five cell phones, and three firearms, including an assault rifle.
Officials say over 100 rounds of ammunition were also found that included armor piercing and hollow point bullets. An additional cell phone and a round of ammunition were located in another home previously used by Long.
Evidence was extracted from cell phones and jail communications. Officials say that it revealed the scope of Long’s drug dealing, his efforts to avoid apprehension by law enforcement from April through November 2021, and his location during this time.
One of the guns recovered had been purchased for Long, who was a prohibited person as a convicted felon, in April 2021, by one of his drug addict customers from a pawn shop in Hampton, officials report.
Long was convicted of all five counts in the indictment, including drug conspiracy, possession of over 40 grams of fentanyl with intent to distribute, possession of firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, possession of firearms by a convicted felon, and maintaining drug premises.
He now faces a mandatory minimum term of 35 years in prison. He will be sentenced on April 24, 2023.
