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A South Boston man, Eric Lamont Cameron, charged under the kingpin
statute of running a drug trafficking operation on College Street
during 2003-2004, was found not guilty of operating a continuing
criminal enterprise on Friday afternoon. That charge carries a
sentence
of life in prison — a sentence that was earlier meted out to another
defendant, Jessie Dunaway who was arrested at the same time as
Cameron.
On Friday afternoon during closing arguments in the two day trial of
Cameron, defense attorney William F. Quillian, III of Lynchburg
argued
that while “Cameron has done things he shouldn’t have done — he’s
sold
drugs” — he was not the principal or organizer of at least five
other
drug dealers who sold $200,000 worth of crack cocaine during the
year
which constituents a continuing criminal enterprise. Those who
testified against him Quillian termed “were independent
contractors.”
Cameron was, however, convicted by the jury of a charge of
conspiracy
to possess with the intent to distribute at least one-half ounce of
marijuana and given a sentence of seven and one-half years in prison
on
that count,
During the hearing before Judge Les Osborn in Halifax County Circuit
Court, several witnesses testified about the drug deals that had
taken
place at the 206 College Street address in South Boston where a raid
was executed on December 2, 2004.
Regional Drug Prosecutor Brendan Dunning argued that Cameron was
“the
hub of the wheel” that resupplied dealers with 20-30 people coming
to
the house daily to get drugs.”58,800 crack rocks went through this
house, more than one for every resident of Halifax County,” Dunning
said, after witnesses testified to the amount of drugs they had
bought
at the house.
However, the credibility of those witnesses was challenged by
Quillian,
who pointed out to jurors that those who testified were for the most
part awaiting sentencing on drug charges against them. “They came
here
because it was in their best interest to do so,” he said, after
hearing
several say they had met with Major Pulliam of the Sheriff’s
Department
and their attorney and been advised that it “would help them with
their
case to testify” although no promises were made. Several of the
witnesses had prior drug convictions and several were facing stiff
penalties.