NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (WAVY) – A North Carolina man with a criminal footprint spanning from Virginia to Texas now faces up to life in prison following his conviction this week.

A federal jury in Newport News convicted 40-year-old Trezith Smart for his role in a cocaine distribution conspiracy.

According to evidence presented at his trial, Smart traveled from his home in Edenton, North Carolina and a residence in Newport News, Virginia to Houston, Texas to get the drugs. He would then return to the Hampton Roads region to distribute them.

In 2017, Smart was stopped for speeding in Louisiana. State Police found him in possession of five kilograms of cocaine. He posted bond and returned to Newport News to continue cocaine trafficking, court records state.

In May 2018, Smart sold cocaine to a middleman who then sold it to an undercover officer. A few months later, he was stopped again in Newport News. Police said they found Smart in possession of an ounce of cocaine and $15,000 cash.

In November 2018, Smart confessed to distributing more than 500 kilograms of cocaine between 2015 and 2018. That equates to more than 1,100 pounds.

The federal jury convicted Smart on Thursday on charges of conspiracy to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine, possession with intent to distribute cocaine, and distribution of cocaine.

He is scheduled to be sentenced on the charges in March, 2022 and faces a minimum sentence of 10 years, with a maximum sentence of life in prison.

Smart is being held at Pamunkey Regional Jail in Hanover, Virginia.