A Newport News man was sentenced to 40 years in federal prison after prosecutors proved he led a large-scale drug trafficking organization that operated out of a luxury car dealership, using vehicles on the lot to store drugs and conceal criminal activity.
Cortez Dayshawn Bumphus, 33, was sentenced Friday for his role in a Hampton Roads–based conspiracy that used Lux Auto, a Newport News luxury car business, as its base of operations, according to court records and evidence presented at trial.
Federal prosecutors said Bumphus and his co-conspirators stored large quantities of cannabis and other contraband inside vehicles parked throughout the dealership’s lot, exploiting the business’s inventory to avoid detection. Members of the organization were frequently armed with handguns and other weapons while operating from the location.
Between August 2020 and August 2023, law enforcement seized nearly $400,000 in drug proceeds and approximately 1,000 pounds of cannabis tied to the conspiracy during enforcement actions at major Mid-Atlantic airports, authorities said.
“Cortez Bumphus led a massive drug trafficking organization, armed himself, and operated from the organization’s base of operations,” said Lindsey Halligan, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “The substantial sentence imposed today reflects Bumphus’ central role in the conspiracy and the sheer scope of the organization’s criminal conduct.”
According to prosecutors, the organization maintained a structured hierarchy. Leaders, including Bumphus, coordinated with cannabis suppliers outside Virginia and arranged bulk purchases. Couriers were instructed to fly to source locations with large sums of cash and return to Virginia carrying cannabis. Midlevel members received shipments and distributed the drugs directly or through subordinate dealers.
The luxury car dealership played a key role in the operation, providing a seemingly legitimate business front while facilitating storage, coordination and distribution activity, court filings indicate.
On July 30, a federal jury convicted Bumphus of multiple offenses, including continuing a criminal enterprise, conspiracy to distribute marijuana, conspiracy to launder money, being a felon in possession of a firearm, possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime, maintaining a drug-involved premises and using a communication facility to further drug trafficking.
In addition to the prison sentence, the court ordered a $6.396 million money judgment against Bumphus and the forfeiture of $62,198 in cash, designer shoes and accessories and four firearms.
“This sentence removes a career criminal from our streets and reinforces the FBI’s commitment to protecting Hampton Roads,” said Dominique Evans, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Norfolk Field Office. “If you traffic drugs or use violence to protect your territory, we will find you, shut down your operation, and hold you fully accountable.”
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Eric M. Hurt, Alyson C. Yates, and Luke Bresnahan. The investigation involved the FBI Norfolk Safe Streets Peninsula Task Force, Virginia State Police, Newport News Police Department, and Hampton Police Division.
Thirty-seven defendants were charged in a 127-count superseding indictment returned in September 2023. The case was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia.
