Daevon Narce, known by the street name "Black Jesus," was handed a 70-month prison sentence for his involvement in a drug trafficking ring operating in Northwest D.C. The U.S. Attorney's Office reports that Narce pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl earlier this year on May 12, 2023.
The investigation, spearheaded by the FBI and Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), began to unravel the violent street crew's activities around 7th and O Streets in mid-2021. Narce, aged 31, was reportedly part of a collective involved in aggressive trafficking of substances including crack cocaine and the potent synthetic opioid, fentanyl. To secure convictions, law enforcement officials relied on surveillance tactics, which included covert cameras and controlled purchases of the illegal drugs.
U.S. District Court Judge Reggie B. Walton, who passed the sentence, also ordered Narce to serve three years of supervised release following his prison term. The conviction adds to Narce's criminal history, which already includes six prior convictions, two of which were for escapes. This sentence forms part of a broader clampdown on drug-related offenses that have seen nearly two dozen defendants charged in connection to this case, with sentences varying from probation to years in federal prison.
Furthermore, this case is a fragment of a larger effort by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF), an initiative aimed to swiftly and effectively disrupt the operations of high-level criminal organizations posing a threat to national security. The strength of this approach rests on an intelligence-driven, prosecutor-led, multi-agency strategy designed to specifically target egregious and violent groups such as the one Narce was part of.
A number of Narce's co-defendants have already entered guilty pleas and received their sentences, which range from probation to lengthy prison terms. Among them, Bryan Rice, also known as "Ice," was sentenced to 120 months in prison after pleading guilty to drug distribution and firearms offenses. Others sentenced in relation to the case include Elliot Johnson and Jeremy Young, each also receiving substantial prison time.
The success of the collaborative investigation comes down to the joint efforts of the MPD's Violence Reduction Unit and the FBI Washington Field Office’s Cross Border Safe Streets Task Force, along with contributions from the Washington Division of the DEA. The task force's mission is to target the most violent street crews in the District of Columbia.
