RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) – A Richmond man has been sentenced to five years in prison for using a firearm as part of a felony drug trafficking crime.
According to court documents, police seized a loaded, concealed pistol from 21-year-old Deshan Harris on March 2, 2022. Ballistic evaluations showed that the pistol had been straw purchased 28 days earlier, and in the time between the initial purchase and seizure by police, the gun had been used in a shooting at the Hilton Homewood Suites in Richmond and another shooting on Porter Street.
Eight days later, on March 10, 2022, police saw Harris leaving the Carolina Express convenience store in the North Highland Park area and pulled him over. During the traffic stop, Harris hid a loaded, 9mm semiautomatic pistol under his leg and did not comply with the officers’ requests.
The officers searched Harris’ vehicle and found 15.9 grams of cocaine, oxycodone pills, over an ounce of marijuana, a digital scale, packaging materials, $852 in cash and an extended magazine loaded with 9mm ammunition. After another search, they also found $1,714 cash on Harris’s person.
According to police, Harris had intent to distribute a half ounce of crack cocaine.
Harris was sentenced on Tuesday, Jan. 10 to five years in prison.
