Two Drug Dealers Sentenced For Roles In Southwest Virginia Drug Ring
Tuesday, June 10, 2025, 6:30 A.M. ET. 2 Minute Read, By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,
ABINGDON, VA.- Last week, a 49-year-old Lexington, North Carolina, man and a 42-year-old Roanoke, Virginia, man were sentenced for their roles in trafficking significant quantities of methamphetamine and deadly fentanyl into Southwest Virginia.
According to Acting U.S. Attorney Zachary T. Lee, Eric Lee Coffey, 49, of Lexington, North Carolina, appeared in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Virginia and was sentenced to 70 months in federal prison. Additionally, Daniel Hafemeister, 42, of Roanoke, Virginia, also appeared in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Virginia and was sentenced to 46 months in federal prison. Both men were sentenced for their previously entered guilty pleas to federal narcotics violations.
Coffey And Hafemeister Previously Admitted Guilt To Drug Crimes
Coffey previously appeared in Federal Court in Abingdon, Virginia, and pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute 500 Grams or More of Methamphetamine. Additionally, Hafemeister pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute 50 Grams or More of Methamphetamine; Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute 40 Grams or More of Fentanyl; and Distribution of Fentanyl.
According to charging documents filed with the District Court, both Coffey and Hafemeister conspired with Bradley Chester, Cody Rose, James Gamble, Thomas Houston, Jr., and others, to traffic large quantities of methamphetamine and fentanyl into communities within Southwest Virginia.
During the investigation, law enforcement Investigators identified Coffey as a major distributor for the conspiracy. Investigators uncovered that Coffey and Hafemeister pooled thousands of dollars with other co-conspirators and made at least eight trips to North Carolina to obtain bricks containing at least one pound of methamphetamine and anywhere from two ounces to one pound of fentanyl per trip. The illicit narcotics were then repackaged and redistributed throughout Wise County and elsewhere in the Western District of Virginia.
Previously, in April, co-conspirator Gamble was sentenced to 151 months for his role in the drug trafficking conspiracy. Bradley Chester was sentenced to 84 months, and Cody Rose to 49 months for their roles in the conspiracy. Early this year, Houston was sentenced to 6 years.