ROANOKE (WSLS 10) - An Illinois man pleaded guilty Monday on charges relating to distributing cocaine. Clarence Hawkins was in U.S. District Court in Roanoke to enter the plea.
The U.S. Attorney's office says this case was part of a much bigger drug ring that operated in the Roanoke Valley, bringing heroin and cocaine in from Chicago over the last five years.
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Investigators say Hawkins was in charge of the cocaine side of the operation. He pleaded guilty to three counts of conspiracy to distribute cocaine, distribution and possession with intent to distribute.
As part of the plea agreement, Hawkins will serve between 10 and 20 years in prison.
According to the US Attorney's Office, this drug ring operated for five years and included more than five kilograms of cocaine. His attorney Tony Anderson plans to fight the total amount during sentencing.
Hawkins' brother, Jessie, is charged with running the heroin side of the operation. He's expected to enter a similar guilty plea in federal court Tuesday.
"We're going to investigate and prosecute any of these drug trafficking organizations we can learn about and gather meaningful evidence," said Assistant U.S. Attorney Don Wolthuis, who is prosecuting this case. "Heroin doesn't come from Roanoke. It all has to come from somewhere and we're going to follow it back up the chain as far as we can."
Hawkins has also been linked to a suspicious death case in Vinton.
29-year-old Jessica Kessler was found dead in a Vinton apartment in October 2013. No one has been charged.
Kessler and Hawkins were dating at the time.
On Monday, we learned from the U.S. Attorney's Office that her body had been moved and the witnesses interviewed gave conflicting statements about what happened and the last time she was seen alive.
The medical examiner determined her death to be an overdose of cocaine and heroin.