NORFOLK

A Chesapeake lawn care company is a front for a large-scale drug ring operating in Hampton Roads, federal investigators say.

Agents say the owner of Precision Landscapes used his business to sell large quantities of heroin and cocaine and launder proceeds.

Marlon “Low” Daye even used the company’s listed phone number – the one on the side of his work truck – to arrange several of the drug sales, documents said.

Daye, 28, was arrested this week on federal drug charges. A detention hearing is set for Tuesday in U.S. District Court .

Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Bosse and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney John Butler, an assistant attorney general with the state’s Major Crimes and Emerging Threats Section, declined to comment on the case. Assistant Federal Public Defender Keith Kimball, Daye’s defense attorney, also declined to comment.

The charges against Daye – who first licensed his lawn care company in May 2011 – stem from a seven-month investigation by the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Chesapeake Police Department.

According to a partially redacted court document, Daye, 28, arranged for dozens of kilograms of heroin and more than 5 kilograms of cocaine to be brought to Hampton Roads from New York. He sold the drugs to dealers in Chesapeake and Portsmouth.

The document, drafted by FBI Special Agent Phillip B. Gautney, cites 10 “confidential human sources” – at least five of whom were involved in the so-called Outten organization.

Alonzo “Muscle” Outten, that group’s leader, was sentenced last year to 30 years.

The court document does not name the 10 people who provided information to investigators but indicates one brought at least 24 kilograms of heroin to Daye from 2008 to 2010. Another person said he or she trafficked 4.2 kilograms of heroin and 4.8 kilograms of cocaine between 2010 and 2013.

The various sources told investigators they often transported the drugs via Chinese commercial bus lines – sometimes with the help of female couriers. One of the sources explained those bus lines provided more anonymity, and therefore were less likely to result in arrest .

The court document also noted that Daye housed his lawn care equipment in a blue shipping container in Chesapeake, and that he was frequently seen by investigators driving a white pickup.

Placards on the pickup’s doors advertised Precision Landscapes, documents said. Investigators said the phone number on those placards was used by both Daye’s legitimate lawn care customers and his drug customers.

In all, investigators orchestrated seven controlled buys between Daye and a confidential source. During all but one of those sales, Daye was driving his work truck. During one , Daye asked the buyer to meet him where he stores his lawn care equipment.

The controlled buys ultimately netted 112 grams of heroin and 14 grams of cocaine, documents said.

Daye has a limited criminal history, with prosecutors in recent years deciding to drop or otherwise not purse felony charges against him.

Chesapeake Commonwealth’s Attorney Nancy Parr said her office dropped a cocaine charge in 2012 after a co-defendant claimed full ownership of the drugs. She said a charge of attempted malicious wounding was dismissed the following year after a victim changed his story and said Daye was not the shooter.

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