EXMORE, Va. - A New York man was sentenced Thursday to six years in federal prison in a case that began with a traffic stop that uncovered more than eleven pounds of cocaine in a hidden vehicle compartment.
John Valentin, of the Bronx, was sentenced on Oct. 8 by U.S. District Judge Mark S. Davis. According to court records, Valentin will also serve five years of supervised release after leaving prison.
The case began March 28, 2026, when an Accomack County Sheriff’s deputy saw a 2011 Dodge SUV with Georgia license plates failing to stay in its lane near Broadwater Road and Route 13 in Exmore, according to a federal affidavit.
Another investigator stopped the vehicle at Bayside Road and Route 13 around 4:45 p.m. Valentin, the driver and only person in the car, told investigators he was traveling to Hampton, the affidavit states.
A narcotics K9 detected drugs during the search, according to police, prompting a search. Investigators reported finding a hidden compartment beneath the rear bench seat containing three rectangular packages wrapped in white tape, another rectangular package inside a black vacuum-sealed bag and a round package wrapped in plastic.
According to the affidavit, investigators opened the vacuum-sealed package and found white powder that tested positive for cocaine in a field test. The packages weighed approximately 5.2 kilograms combined, or about 11.5 pounds.
A Homeland Security Investigations special agent wrote that the quantity was consistent with distribution rather than personal use. Federal authorities sought a criminal complaint charging Valentin with possession with intent to distribute cocaine.
Valentin later pleaded guilty to the charge.
At Thursday’s sentencing, Judge Davis reaccepted Valentin’s guilty plea and denied a request for a sentence below the advisory sentencing guidelines, according to court records.
The judge recommended that Valentin be housed at a facility as close to New York as possible and receive drug treatment if eligible.
