Source: Office of United States Attorneys
RICHMOND, Va. – A house in the Union Hill neighborhood of Richmond was ordered forfeited to the United States today based on its longstanding use as a drug-involved premises.
According to court documents filed in federal court, the house at 2221 Venable Street had been used by its occupants for over a decade both to sell and use a wide variety of drugs, including fentanyl, heroin, and crack and powder cocaine. Occupants had even sold a mixture of fentanyl, para-fluorofentanyl, and the animal tranquilizer drug xylazine out of the house, a combination commonly referred to as “tranq” or “the zombie drug.”
Drug trafficking had been occurring at the house as far back as 2008. The property was the site of four drug trafficking-related search warrants executed by Richmond Police (RPD), one of which occurred in 2010 and three in 2022. RPD and EMS also responded to two drug overdose deaths at the property, one in 2016 and another in 2020. Frustrated local residents had repeatedly written to their city councilwoman to complain about the incessant criminal activity occurring at the property. Local residents referred to 2221 Venable Street as “the Yellow House.”
Several neighborhood residents wrote to local officials for help, having witness, among other things, open prostitution, illicit drug use, public indecency, public urination and defecation, violent fights, drug overdoses, theft, and more.
“This successful action demonstrates the positive impact of coordinated federal and state law enforcement partnerships to improve our community,” said Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “The Yellow House was more than a blight on this neighborhood. For years, it was a haven for criminal activity, endangering the safety and wellbeing of local residents. I am proud that we were able to use federal tools to help RPD address this quality of life issue for Union Hill.”
“Drug trafficking had been occurring at the house as far back as 2008,” said Jarod Forget, Special Agent in Charge for the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Washington Division. “The property was the site of four drug trafficking-related search warrants executed by Richmond Police, one of which occurred in 2010 and three in 2022. RPD and EMS also responded to two drug overdose deaths at the property, one in 2016 and another in 2020. In the fall of 2022, the DEA Richmond District Office team collaborated with the Richmond Police Department to investigate the drug distribution activities at 2221 Venable Street as part of Operation Overdrive – Phase 2. The collaborative efforts of the Richmond Police Department, DEA and the U.S. Attorney’s Office culminated in the seizure of the residence. Frustrated local residents had repeatedly written to their city councilwoman to complain about the incessant criminal activity occurring at the property.”
“There are times in public safety when law enforcement cannot arrest a problem away,” said Rick Edwards, Chief of Richmond Police. “Investigations and charges to individuals, even across several years of enforcement, did not solve this problem. I truly appreciate the U.S. Attorney’s Office, and other federal law enforcement agencies, for partnering with RPD to address this longstanding issue in one of our neighborhoods.”
The United States began a civil forfeiture action against this drug-involved premises by publicly filing a civil forfeiture complaint in U.S. District Court. The government then sent notice of the forfeiture action to every person who appeared to have a potential property interest in the house, in addition to giving notice more broadly through online publication. This gave potential claimants an opportunity to contest the forfeiture action in court. Since no claimant came forward to contest the forfeiture action, the United States obtained a default forfeiture judgment. The house will now be sold by the United States Marshals Service, which will remove it from the possession of the occupants who were using it as a base of operations for drug sales. Some of those occupants have been prosecuted in state court.
The matter was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Janet Jin Ah Lee and Kevin Hudson.
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. 3:24-cv-207.