Halifax County Sheriff Wes Tripp said Monday whether that particular Blood set is active locally is something that is under investigation.

The sheriff's office does believe Jackson, 37, has possible ties to the local heroin trade.

The FBI affidavit laying the case for Jackson's arrest, which occurred Friday morning at a residence on Elm Street in Weldon, shows that a cooperating witness stated Jackson was the main heroin supplier for Chris “Killa” Smith, who is described as the Godfather of the IGB, which operates in the Tidewater region of Virginia.

“This affidavit will show probable cause to believe that between, in or about May 2014 until, on or about September 11, 2014, in the Eastern District of Virginia … Jackson joined in a conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute in the Tidewater area of the Eastern District of Virginia more than one kilogram of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of heroin …” the redacted document that is part of the federal file says.

High ranking Blood member

The document says cooperating witnesses familiar with Jackson's drug trafficking organization report he is a high ranking Bloods street gang member and is involved in the trafficking and selling of illegal narcotics.

The affidavit reports that Smith, who was arrested in an earlier sting, controlled all of the local IGB gang members.

New York trip

On September 8, 2014, one cooperating witness traveled with Smith and two other co-conspirators in two rental cars from the Tidewater area to New York to meet Jackson and to purchase heroin.

The following day the group checked into the Ramada Inn in Rockville Center, New York, and Smith met with Jackson outside the hotel.

The entire group, including Smith and Jackson, traveled to purchase cutting agents for the heroin in Spanish Harlem.

On September 10, 2014, Smith, the first cooperating witness and two other co-conspirators checked into the Red Roof Inn hotel.

That group drove with Jackson to Manhattan and parked on the street. The first cooperating witness observed Jackson exiting Smith’s vehicle and returning 20 to 30 minutes later with two bags containing heroin that he gave to Smith, which Smith placed in his vehicle.

Smith, the first cooperating witness and the two other co-conspirators then left New York and traveled in two rental vehicles back towards Virginia.

On September 11, 2014, law enforcement received information from cooperating witnesses that Smith was planning a trip to New York to purchase heroin from Jackson.

Cameras from the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel captured a silver Dodge Charger and black Chevrolet Malibu pass through the toll bridge heading north.

FBI surveillance observed the same two vehicles parked in the parking lot of the Ramada Inn in Rockville Center and surveillance photographs were taken of Smith and Jackson meeting outside the hotel.

The same vehicles were also observed on the Lower East Side of Manhattan and FBI surveillance observed Smith walk to the driver’s side of the silver Dodge Charger carrying a small plastic bag and get into the vehicle. The two vehicles then departed the area traveling together.

On September 11, 2014, just before 6 a.m., the Virginia State Police conducted a traffic stop on U.S. Route 13 in Northampton County, Virginia.

The two rental vehicles identified in prior FBI surveillance were stopped together.

Approximately 10 ounces of heroin were seized during the traffic stop.

As a result of the stop and the ongoing investigation, Smith and three other members of the IGB have been charged with narcotics trafficking and firearm violations, including violations of the United States Code for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute more than one kilogram of heroin. They are currently awaiting court proceedings for disposition in the case.

Text messages and photos

Following Smith's arrest, the FBI seized his cell phone.

A federal search warrant was executed for the telephone and the examination of the phone revealed the following text messages:

September 5 2014: A message from Smith’s phone was sent saying, “I got u im going to ny Sunday to flip some sh**. when I come back I got you cuz.”

The affiant believes this message indicates Smith was planning to travel to New York to exchange money for heroin.

September 7, 2014: A message from Smith’s phone was sent saying: “Real talk bae these ni***z fu**ed up 30 stacks of my money now I got to answer to these Spanish ni***z tomorrow.”

Based on affiant’s training and experience, stack refers to one thousand dollars.

Smith appears to be concerned that someone has tampered with his stacks of money and that he will now have to answer for the shortfall to his higher-ups within the distribution chain.

September 9, 2014: A message from Smith’s phone was sent saying, “Ima hold it there bro I b right back no need to stay 3 days. Tomorrow I c them that tues like 3 4 in the morning out wed I’ll be here bro.”

September 9, 2014: A message from Smith’s phone was sent saying, “Call u when I come back from ny.”

September 10, 2014: Two text messages were sent to Smith’s phone. The telephone number is believed to have been utilized by Jackson.

The messages stated: “Bro some of these stacks is short. I had three that was short all ready 2 was short a buck and one was short 2.”

The affiant believes the other caller is telling Smith that the thousand-dollar stacks of money are short — that two stacks were short $100 and one stack was short $200.

September 10, 2014: Two text messages were sent from Smith’s phone in response to the messages above.

The response stated, “I got u settle the differences. To make up 19,800 somebody been hitting my stacks.”

September 11, 2014: A message from Smith’s phone was sent saying, “Couldn’t answer out here I’ll b home like 3 am.”

Smith’s phone also contained a photograph of New York City with a date stamp of September 10, 2014.

Second cooperating witness and drug totals

A cooperating witness, referred to as CW-2, stated that Jackson was the main supplier of heroin for Smith.

CW-2 stated that since the spring of 2014 until the September 2014 trip that resulted in the traffic stop, Smith and other IGB co-conspirators working at the direction of Smith made multiple purchases of heroin from Jackson in New York, usually purchasing either one kilogram or 1.5 kilograms on each trip.

CW-2 indicated even after Smith was arrested and incarcerated, Jackson continued to deliver heroin to at least one IGB member in Tidewater Virginia.

Drug totals based on information received from law enforcement and cooperating witnesses indicate Jackson was part of a conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute in excess of one kilogram of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of heroin.

“Based on the foregoing, I submit that there is probable cause to believe that Ricky Jackson, also known as Sosa, conspired with others known and unknown in the Eastern District of Virginia and elsewhere to distribute and possess with intent to distribute in the Tidewater area of the Eastern District of Virginia more than one kilogram of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of heroin,” the agent says in the affidavit.