Darryl Dacota Riley, Jr., a 39-year-old resident of the District of Columbia and previously convicted felon, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to charges related to his involvement in a drug trafficking conspiracy. The conspiracy involved the distribution of PCP, cocaine, and fentanyl across several states, with sales taking place on the 2900 block of Knox Place in Southeast Washington, D.C., according to an announcement by U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
Riley, also known as “Slice,” admitted guilt to conspiracy to distribute significant quantities of phencyclidine (PCP), cocaine, and fentanyl. He also pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition by a felon. Judge Timothy J. Kelly accepted Riley’s plea and set sentencing for May 14, 2026.
“Thanks to our prosecutors, a 10-time convicted felon and drug-trafficker is off the streets and behind bars,” said U.S. Attorney Pirro. “Jackson went so far as to target drug addicts seeking rehabilitation by selling drugs outside of rehabilitation and treatment facilities in Southeast Washington D.C., but now he won’t be bringing down this community anymore.”
Court documents indicate that FBI agents began investigating the drug trafficking operation during the summer of 2024 after identifying suspected fentanyl and PCP activity centered around Knox Place SE. Investigators determined that Riley acted as a major supplier of PCP within the network.
Riley is one of three defendants who have pleaded guilty following an investigation that led to the arrest of fourteen individuals in August 2025 after authorities executed twenty search warrants across Washington D.C., Maryland, and Los Angeles. During these operations, law enforcement seized firearms, narcotics including cocaine and fentanyl, equipment used for packaging drugs at scale, and over $100,000 in cash.
The area surrounding Knox Place has experienced multiple homicides over the past year along with other violent crimes. According to investigators cited in court records, traffickers operating out of Knox Place obtained their drugs from a Baltimore-based associate who imported narcotics from California. One intercepted shipment included seventeen gallons of PCP stopped by law enforcement outside Topeka, Kansas last year.
On August 26, 2025, agents searched Riley’s home on Naylor Road SE where they found large amounts of cocaine, crack cocaine, fentanyl, methamphetamine as well as cash totaling more than $20,000. They also recovered several loaded firearms including handguns and an AR-style rifle without a serial number.
FBI Assistant Director Darren B. Cox joined U.S. Attorney Pirro in making the announcement about Riley’s plea agreement.
The case was investigated by the FBI Washington Field Office with support from both the DEA and Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). Prosecution is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew W. Kinskey, Sarah Akhtar, and John Crabb from the Violent Crime and Narcotics Trafficking Section at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for D.C.
