2 Hampton Roads men plead guilty in fentanyl treasure map case

Photo byJoe Wolf (CC2.0)

Two Hampton Roads men pled guilty and are scheduled for sentencing in a case involving a fentanyl treasure map.

Ronald Devon Matthews, a 39-year-old from the Isle of Wight, acknowledged in court documents that he’s known as “MacGyver” and “Mac” and has been in custody since he was arrested in December 2021. He pled guilty to three federal counts of being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition on Sept 29, 2022, court documents show.

Matthews draws a map

Matthews admitted, on May 2, 2023, while serving his 6-year and 9-month sentence for those charges at the Federal Correctional Complex in Petersburg, he drew a treasure map to fentanyl that he buried in the ground outside his home in Carrsville before he was arrested. In the statement of facts submitted in federal court, he also admitted that he drew that map on the back of a sales invoice with his name on it.

Matthews confessed to sending the treasure map to Demetris Alexander Daniels so he could retrieve the drugs and distribute them.

Daniels is 34-year-old Hampton man who was living in Matthews' house when he received the map, explained a statement from U.S. District Attorney Jessica Alba’s office, which prosecuted the case.

Daniels treasure hunting

Daniels confessed to using the map to try to the find the fentanyl, but he was he couldn't find it. In his statement of facts, Daniels also admitted that Matthews contacted an individual identified only as "Witness 1" to help him find the drugs and he talked to Witness 1 talked on the phone on June 15, 2023. They arranged to meet on June 18 to search for the fentanyl.

But the day after Daniels and Witness 1 spoke, Isle of Wight Sheriff’s Office and the ATF executed a search warrant on Matthews’ house. Daniels admitted he was there at the time, and the authorities found the map “in plain view” in the bedroom he used.

Authorities also found “recent digging” in the yard. Using the map, they found a plastic container, which according to court documents, contained 383.02 grams.

Matthews and Daniels both acknowledged those findings in separate statements.

Charges & pleas

Matthews was facing charges of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl and maintaining a drug-involved premises, but in his plea agreement the latter charge was dropped.

The conspiracy charge carries up to 40 years with a mandatory minimum of 5 years. Alba’s office agreed to recommend a sentence not to exceed 20 years, but that recommendation is not binding on the Court, the plea agreement states. Matthews is scheduled to be sentenced on April 11, 2025.

Daniels pled guilty today to being an accessory after the fact to maintaining a drug-involved premises. He is scheduled to be sentenced on May 1, 2025, and faces up to 10 years in prison.

According to Alba’s office, this case is part of part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, a program that’s supposed to bring all levels of law enforcement and the community together to reduce violent crime and make neighborhoods safer.

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