SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – A Springfield, Illinois, man, Tyrell Harris, 29, of the 2000 block of MacArthur Boulevard, was sentenced on October 18, 2022, to concurrent sentences of 57 months’ imprisonment for distribution of heroin and 120 months’ imprisonment for possession of 100 grams or more of heroin with intent to distribute.
At the sentencing hearing in front of U.S. District Judge Sue E. Myerscough, the government presented evidence that, when officers attempted to arrest Mr. Harris at his residence on an unrelated arrest warrant for firearms charges, they found approximately 240 grams of heroin inside, in addition to other evidence related to drug sales.
Harris was indicted in May 2019 and pleaded guilty in June 2022.
The statutory penalties for distribution of heroin are up to 30 years in prison, up to a $2,000,000 fine, not less than 6 years of supervised release, and a $100 mandatory special assessment. The statutory penalties for possession of 100 grams or more of heroin with intent to distribute are up to life in prison, up to a $8,000,000 fine, not less than eight years of supervised release, and a $100 mandatory special assessment.
The Springfield Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Z. Weir represented the government in the prosecution.