Leader of multistate drug distribution ring sentenced to 30 years following HSI Norfolk investigation

NORFOLK, Va. — An investigation conducted by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Norfolk, the FBI’s Norfolk field office, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Washington division, the Virginia State Police and the Virginia Beach Police Department landed a Virginia Beach man in federal prison for 30 years for leading a multiyear, multistate methamphetamine distribution conspiracy. Malik Dillard, 47, received the sentence Feb. 2 at the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia in Norfolk.

“For several years, Malik Dillard orchestrated an extensive drug network that peddled poison and did immeasurable damage to communities in several states,” said HSI Washington, D.C. Special Agent in Charge Derek W. Gordon. “For the next three decades, he will pay his debt to society in a federal prison. HSI Washington, D.C. will continue to dismantle such drug enterprises to provide safer neighborhoods for our citizens.”

According to the investigation, Dillard used out-of-state methamphetamine suppliers to import bulk packages of 98.6% pure methamphetamine into Virginia through the U.S. Postal Service. He employed a network of sub-dealers to scale and expand his methamphetamine operation across the Hampton Roads region over multiple years.

This is Dillard’s 15th criminal conviction and third federal conviction. In 2009, he was sentenced in Richmond for his role in leading a conspiracy involving 16 bank robberies across seven states in 75 days — which started just one week after he was released from prison. In 2003, he was sentenced in the Northern District of Georgia for his role in leading a conspiracy to commit bank fraud.

Methamphetamine is a powerful, highly addictive stimulant that affects the central nervous system. As cited in court documents and according to the Virginia Department of Health’s Chief Medical Examiner, overdose deaths caused by methamphetamine skyrocketed 9,500% in Virginia from 2007 to 2022 and continue to rise. Unlike other drugs, like heroin or fentanyl, there are no approved medications effective at treating methamphetamine addiction.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia prosecuted the case.

This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multiagency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.

Anyone with information about drug trafficking or drug trafficking organizations is encouraged to call the HSI Tip Line at 877-4-HSI-TIP (877-447-4847). The HSI Tip Line is staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

HSI is the principal investigative arm of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), responsible for investigating transnational crime and threats, specifically those criminal organizations that exploit the global infrastructure through which international trade, travel and finance move. HSI’s workforce of more than 8,700 employees consists of more than 6,000 special agents assigned to 237 cities throughout the United States, and 93 overseas locations in 56 countries. HSI’s international presence represents DHS’ largest investigative law enforcement presence abroad and one of the largest international footprints in U.S. law enforcement.

Learn more about HSI’s mission to increase public safety in your community on X, formerly known as Twitter, @HSI_DC.

Source: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE.gov)