ALEXANDRIA, Va. (WRIC) — A Virginia man pleaded guilty Tuesday, June 7 to conspiracy to distribute counterfeit prescription pills containing fentanyl and possessing a firearm during drug trafficking.
According to court documents, 26-year-old Justice Edward Ansah, of Manassas, conspired with others to distribute counterfeit, pressed pills laced with fentanyl from around May 2020 through December 2021.
During the timeframe, the release by the Department of Justice (DOJ) said Ansah sold hundreds of thousands of the laced pills to people in northern Virginia.
When he was arrested in December 2021, the DOJ said Ansah was carrying a 9mm “ghost gun” – a privately manufactured firearm without a serial number or any other unique identifiers.
Court records state that when officials searched Ansah’s two Manassas homes, they found more than 6,700 grams of fentanyl, more than 1450 grams of cocaine, and tens of thousands of grams of marijuana and THC products. In addition, the search discovered two additional “ghost guns,” two pistols, one rifle, various ammunition and more than $28,000 in cash.
Ansah had previously been convicted of a felony offense in Virginia and was prohibited from possessing firearms at the time of this offense.
Ansah is scheduled to be sentenced on September 14, and faces a minimum penalty of 15 years in prison.
