An Annandale resident, Marcantonio Juarez Velasquez, was sentenced to 15 years in prison for possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl.
Court documents state that on June 20, 2024, law enforcement observed Juarez Velasquez engaging in a hand-to-hand narcotics transaction in Fairfax County. An arrest warrant was issued following the incident. Officers arrested him on August 2, 2024. At the time of his arrest, Juarez Velasquez had a handgun, an extended magazine with 15 rounds of ammunition, $949.83 in cash, and 258 fentanyl pills.
While awaiting trial in detention, Juarez Velasquez instructed a minor to hide fentanyl pills, a firearm, and cash at his family’s residence. On August 6, 2024, officers searched the home and found 9,220 fentanyl pills, $2,344 in cash, another handgun, two ammunition magazines, as well as an identification card and debit card belonging to Juarez Velasquez.
Lindsey Halligan, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Anthony A. Spotswood, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Washington Field Division; and Kevin Davis, Fairfax County Chief of Police announced the sentencing after it was handed down by U.S. District Judge Michael S. Nachmanoff.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Daniel K. Amzallag and Ronald L. Walutes Jr. prosecuted the case.
“A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:25-cr-163.”
