Atlanta Heroin Distributor Sentenced as Part of the District’s DMI Program

ATLANTA - Shantuan Daniel has been sentenced for heroin trafficking and being a felon-in-possession of a firearm. Daniel was sentenced to five years and three months in federal prison as part of the district’s Drug Market Initiative (DMI), an on-going commitment to eradicate the heroin market in Atlanta’s English Avenue neighborhood.

“Daniel threatened an Atlanta Police Department officer with a firearm prior to his arrest in this case,” said U.S. Attorney John A. Horn. “But Daniel was captured and brought to justice thanks to the diligence of APD officers and his federal sentence for distributing heroin in the neighborhood of English Avenue is an important win for this community.”

“This sentence is another reminder that ATF and our law enforcement partners will hold individuals accountable for any criminal behavior, especially that which threatens the safety of innocent civilians,” said ATF Special Agent in Charge Wayne Dixie.

“I have always known that partnerships are the key to making the city of Atlanta a safer city,” said Atlanta Police Chief Erika Shields. “The sentencing of Mr. Daniel is proof that the DMI program is working to turn the English Avenue neighborhood in a new direction. The Atlanta Police Department will continue to work with our local, state and federal partners to develop new programs and find innovative ways to fight crime.”

According to U.S. Attorney Horn, the charges, and other information presented in court: Daniel is one of the final defendants to be sentenced as part of the first phase of the district’s DMI investigation of drug trafficking in Atlanta’s English Avenue community. Between April 22, 2015, through June 11, 2015, Daniel distributed heroin in the English Avenue neighborhood and was identified by law enforcement after he conducted a hand-to-hand transaction with an undercover officer in April 2015. He was also a convicted felon at that time.

That day, an undercover officer was present in the area to conduct a drug deal with an unrelated DMI target when Daniel unexpectedly approached him. Daniel gave the undercover officer heroin and his cell phone number in the hope of doing future drug deals with the undercover officer. Then, in June 2015, Daniel was involved in a heroin “buy/bust” attempt, but escaped apprehension when law enforcement officers tried to arrest him.

During that escape, Daniel pointed a loaded firearm at an APD investigator just before escaping down a deep embankment where officers were unable to apprehend him. Despite a pursuit by law enforcement officers of the Georgia State Patrol, APD, and the National Guard, Daniel remained a fugitive for nearly a year. APD Officers eventually apprehended Daniel on April 7, 2016, on unrelated charges. At the time, he was driving a vehicle that contained more heroin and a stolen firearm.

Shantuan Daniel, 25, of Atlanta, Georgia, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Steve C. Jones to five years and three months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release. Daniel pleaded guilty on these charges on November 15, 2016.

This case was prosecuted as part of the U.S. Attorney’s DMI Initiative in the English Avenue heroin market. Since the summer of 2015, more than 60 heroin traffickers have faced federal charges.  U.S Attorney’s office staff have simultaneously been involved in diversion programs for other heroin dealers as well as community rebuilding efforts.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Atlanta Police Department.

Assistant United States Attorney Dash A. Cooper prosecuted this case.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Atlanta recommends parents and children learn about the dangers of drugs at the following web site: www.justthinktwice.com.

For further information, please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.