member of the Bounty Hunter Bloods gang was sentenced to 36 years in prison

Gang member Eric Drandell Ward, 28, was sentenced in Norfolk federal court to serve 29 years in prison for his racketeering acts and 7 years in prison for possessing a firearm during a crime of violence, according to a statement from the United States Attorney's Office.



According to court documents, Ward was a mid-level leader of the Bounty Hunty Hunter Bloods/Nine Tech Gangster street gang that operated in neighborhoods in Portsmouth, Suffolk, and Chesapeake.



Ward pleaded guilty in July to one RICO count and one count of possessing a firearm during a crime of violence. The RICO count includes two racketeering acts that Ward participated in as a gang member, which included a home invasion robbery and conspiracy to distribute controlled substances.



According to court documents, in June 2007, six Bounty Hunter gang members drove to a home in Chesapeake armed with a gun to commit a home invasion robbery. Several weeks, earlier, Ward visited the victim's residence to inquire about renting the home. During a walk-thru of the residence, Ward noticed a safe in the master bedroom. Ward relayed this information to his fellow gang members, resulting in the robbery plans. The gang members decided Ward would not go to the robbery because he would be easily recognized.



When the gang arrived at the home, they knocked on the door, and when the victim answered, they forced their way in. At gunpoint, they demanded money from the safe. The victim began to scream and was hit several times on the head with a gun. Neighbors heard the victim's screams, and gang members fled the scene. In their haste leaving, they accidentally dropped a gun in the victim's front yard, which was recovered by Chesapeake Police.



The other racketeering act involves Ward's daily activity as a gang member in selling illegal narcotics in the Huntersville and College Square neighborhoods of Suffolk, according to court documents.