Tavante Beckett Charged With Conspiracy to Sell and Distribute Marijuana, Possession of Marijuana

Tavante Beckett
Tavante Beckett is in legal trouble. (Photo by Ivan Morozov)

Suspended Virginia Tech linebacker Tavante Beckett has been charged with possession of marijuana and conspiracy to sell or distribute marijuana.

The online court database for Virginia shows that Tavante Dashae Beckett was charged on August 23 with the conspiracy to sell or distribute marijuana, and was arrested for that charge on Monday, Sept. 11. Beckett was also charged on Monday with possession of marijuana. Beckett’s court date for both charges is scheduled for Sept. 22 at 8:30 a.m.

Conspiracy to sell or distribute marijuana is listed as either a Class 1 misdemeanor or a Class 5 felony, depending on the amount of marijuana. In Beckett’s case, he was charged with a felony. Beckett was suspended on Monday, presumably after his arrest, from all team activities. 

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  1. To all you morons on this post who want dope legalized. It’s called dope for a reason. You are part of what’s wrong with this country. Do what thy will. If it feels good do it. You are a product of liberal (let’s give 10 yr. olds condums) education that took over the public school system years ago. Your whole view on things of this nature has been twisted. One day when you finally grow up and have beautiful children of your own, that you invest all your time in watching them grow, then the thought of them sitting around getting high and drunk or whatever else they may get into and regret later, will hurt your heart and then you will think differently. In the mean time you will keep on supporting legalization of everything that is tearing apart families and confusing the kids with all manor of immorality. Rome was never conquered, it morley deteriorated from within. And thanks to you and your liberal friends history is repeating itself.

    1. Weird, I thought this was a site about Virginia Tech sports, not extreme political views. Well, at least now I know the reason our country will crumble is because of weed and liberals…and not by, say, racist, neo-nazis (in light of recent events).

    2. I agree with ArdbegHokie, let’s keep this site about our great university and sports.

      The young man made a poor decision that will cost him – god knows I’ve made some. Let’s all hope he pulls out of this and gets back to getting an education. In the end, that’s what matters.

      All he has to do is look at Marcus Vick.

    3. @Hokiegirl312

      YOU are part of what’s wrong with this country. YOU are the one who wants to regulate PERSONAL behavior—not criminal behavior. Crimes have a criminal AND an offended victim. One cannot commit a crime upon one’s self with one’s own willing behavior.

      YOU are responsible for supporting these tragic laws that rip families apart, destroy careers, destroy lives, and crap all over our U.S. Constitution that supposedly guarantees our individual rights.

      GTFO of my life and stop using your ignorant opinions in your attempt to CONTROL AMERICANS.

      Condum and morley? I hope you’re not teaching your precious children how to spell.

      It’s called freedom for a reason, you DOPE.

  2. I wish TB good luck but There’s always one to two of these Blockhead decisions every single year. I wish I could work on the University’s Substance Prevention & Health Wellness program.

  3. It almost sounds like he was already charged with the conspiracy to sell charge, but when they came to arrest him for that they then found more weed on him for the additional possession charge. I am reading/understanding that correctly? If so, that was a bonehead move!!

  4. “Distributing more than a half-ounce of marijuana, but less than 5 pounds, is a Class 5 felony, punishable by at least one year but not more than 10 years in jail.” – not good. I just hope he doesn’t have a client list around.

  5. Tragic on multiple levels.

    I hope I’m wrong but, unfortunately, there may be another shoe waiting to drop. If he was selling, it strikes me as unlikely that was going on without other players having an awareness of it; or even participating. This sad story might not in simply with Beckett.

    1. I’m not attorney or expert on the subject but I don’t believe being charged with conspiracy to sell/distribute marijuana necessarily means you were caught in the act of selling/distributing. You can get that charge if you simply have a large amount because it is assumed you have that much for the purpose of selling/distributing. This is not a justification for Beckett because he shouldn’t be caught in either circumstance, I’m just saying it doesn’t automatically mean he’s a drug dealer or worse, the drug dealer/supplier for the whole team.

      1. More than likely he had it packaged up for selling. Multiple baggies of cannabis and scales could be the reasoning behind the distribution charge.

      2. Good point. Also, many cases of “intent to distribute” are simply the case of one friend helping another friend obtain a small amount, say, an ounce, for personal use. These are terrible laws that needlessly criminalize and ruin the lives of many young people, and why IMO simple marijuana possession in these amounts should be de-criminalized. Especially so our police force can concentrate on taking real criminals off the street instead of helping manufacture more criminals.

        That said, kids on a college football scholarship should be focused on school and football, not this, and he broke team rules. And, since it is an outlawed substance, he needed to make better decisions. I hope he can get this behind him without it ruining his life but he doesn’t belong among the team either if he’s making these kinds of decisions. I wish this young man best luck with his life.

  6. Dumb decision, but can we please just get over it and legalize the crap? There is no reason for young people’s lives to be ruined over weed.

    1. Agree 100%. Time legalize weed and spend the resources currently used to enforce and incarcerate those offenders on real problem drugs . . . opioids.

      1. You guys are right..BUT, that has no bearing on what is legal NOW! This may be VERY bad. Just what he (and we) DIDN’T need!

        1. Of course it should be legalized…for adults. These are kids. (Prohibition hasn’t kept it away from them, it seems.) They should not be consuming cannabis any more than they should be drinking alcohol.

    2. theres no reason to sell weed while you are GOING TO SCHOOL AND PLAYING FOOTBALL FOR FREE.

      deserves whatever he gets.

      1. Only need to be caught with 1/2 ounce (not very much) to get “Conspiracy to Distribute” charge…entirely possible it was for personal use. Still a bad decision and unfortunate.

        Now if he had 4 ounces or so on him…yeah we was dealing.

        Or so I heard from a friend….

    3. My son’s life was ruined BECAUSE OF WEED; it was a gateway drug for him & eventually he went on to stronger drugs -to- needles -to- hepatitis-C, which eventually killed him this February, after years of use & even a life as an attorney. Weed is not the safe drug for fun.

        1. Sorry, but respectfully you’re perspective is inaccurate and needs re-education. As a manager for a manufacturing facility, I work with law enforcement and resource trainers to try to help ensure that our Production Associates stay informed and stay clean of drugs because we believe a healthy Workforce means a healthy and productive company. Weed is definitely a gateway drug and eventually the personal and professional consequences of weed addicted behavior in variably prompts lows and depressions that most often prompts you to want and obtain more than just the normal high.

        2. Your forgot the “just kidding” at the end of your post.
          I know more than a few who started with weed and graduated to stronger drugs. In many cases the same dealer is offering more than marijuana …pills, meth, coke, one stop shopping.

          1. You cannot make personal tragedy a barrier to objective fact. Cannabis is no more a gateway drug than milk is. Any correlation is due to common availability, as the source of one illegal thing tends to be the source of another. But cannabis is indubitably not a gateway drug, a myth first dispelled by the LaGuardia Commission of the 1940s, and we are dutibound to hasten in correcting this fallacy. Respect for the plight of the dangerously addicted to truly harmful drugs (you know, not weed) is a given, and given fully.

      1. Sorry about your son but it wasn’t weed that addicted him & created a bigger problem. If weed never even existed your son would’ve had the same demons to battle with something else.

        It should be legal.

        1. Sorry, but respectfully I disagree with your perspective. I work with law enforcement and resource trainers to try to help ensure that our Production Associates stay informed and stay clean of drugs because we believe a healthy Workforce means a healthy and productive company. Weed is definitely a gateway drug and eventually the personal and professional consequences of weed addicted behavior in variably prompts lows and depressions that most often prompts you to want and obtain more than just the normal high.

          Unless you’re a Mutant like Michael Phelps, eventually weed catches up to you or leads to further experimentation at some point in time.

          1. Weed is not a gateway drug. But I know that in your heart you know that. I’m pleased that most people now do.

        2. Growing up I was around it quite a bit, believe what you want but no doubt, it’s a gateway drug. If legal, will ruin many more lives but hey so do many other vices out there. Each have their own decisions to make and paths to take in the land of freedom. Davante made a bad one, hope he learns from it.

  7. Assuming this reporting has the fact straight, what a dumb and idiotic decision by this young man. Ruined both a free education and a promising athletic career. Was basically slated to start at Mike next year, barring us getting Dax.

  8. i hope somehow this is incorrect accusation and arrest.
    but knowing our world today … ; and if he wasn’t directly involved,
    he was hanging around with those who were.

    promising VT future – – could be wasted.

    🙁

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