THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, November 4, 1996 TAG: 9611020011
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A8 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Editorial
LENGTH: 38 lines
This has been a terrible year for drug kingpins in Portsmouth. Put another way, this has been a terrific year for Portsmouth residents.
Two federal task forces have taken down the crime-plagued city's two most-notorious drug dealers and their gangs.
First to go was Robert Winfield, whose gang operated in the River Edge section. He recently was sentenced to life in prison.
Then last Monday, a federal jury convicted Nathaniel Richardson on a variety of drug-related charges that probably will put him away for life.
Winfield and Richardson were the two most visible beneficiaries of Portsmouth so-called revolving-door justice system - criminals repeatedly arrested but repeatedly freed. Richardson, in fact, dealt drugs with virtual immunity for a decade.
Both men finally were convicted when federal prosecutors tried them in federal court.
The case against Winfield was made by a special FBI task force. The case against Richardson was made by a federal Drug Enforcement Administration task force.
Both task forces are still on the prowl in Portsmouth - and the city is becoming safer because of it.
One thing must be said for Richardson: He was, by all accounts, too smart to use the crack and heroin he distributed. His brains and caution made him a tough man to convict, even though it was no secret he was a drug kingpin.
Two lessons should be learned from his life, if they're not known already:
1. Don't use crack and heroin. The man who dealt it was too smart to touch the stuff. He profited from others' misery.
2. If Richardson can be brought down, anyone dealing drugs can be brought down. He's 24 years old. His life as a free man is over, probably forever.
Congratulations to both federal task forces. May their success continue. by CNB