Gloucester shop owners sentenced

The owners of a local store that sold synthetic marijuana and amphetamines were each sentenced Monday to 10 years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and were ordered to forfeit $425,000 as proceeds of their drug distribution activities. U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia Dana J. Boente made the announcement after the sentences were imposed by U.S. District Judge Raymond A. Jackson in Newport News. Daniel Bray, 34, and Rachel Webb-Harvey, 25, both of Gloucester pleaded guilty in September 2013 to conspiracy to distribute, and possess with intent to distribute, analogue drugs as the owners of the store “A Lil’ of This, a Lil’ of That” that was located near the intersection of Route 14 and Crab Thicket Road. According to court records, from January to July 2012 the defendants sold a variety of analogue drugs commonly referred to as “Spice,” the generic street name for synthetic cannabinoids that mimic the physical effects of marijuana, and “Bath Salts,” which contain substituted cathinones that have effects similar to amphetamines. Five other defendants were sentenced previously for their roles in the conspiracy. Those defendants included Jose N. Alvarado, who was sentenced to seven years in prison; Sandra A. Webb, who received 56 months; Shawn R. Woodlen, who received 50 months; Jeromy L. Hawk, who received 10 months; and Jeffery A. Fowlkes, who received five months in prison. The case was investigated be federal law enforcement agencies, the Virginia State Police Tri-Rivers and Peninsula Drug Task Forces and the Gloucester County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric M. Hurt prosecuted the case. reprinted from September 11, 2014 with permission from Gloucester-Mathew Gazette-Journal