Four people indicted for heroin trafficking in Youngstown

A federal grand jury returned a 29-count indictment charging four people with drug trafficking crimes, said Carole S. Rendon, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio.

Andre L. Duncan, 37, of Brent, Alabama; Morris D. Perry, 37, of Youngstown; Shon D. Rankin, 36, of Youngstown; and Phillip T. Devine, 26, of Leetonia, Ohio, knowingly conspired to possess with the intent to distribute and to distribute heroin between May 2014 and continuing through August 2014, according to the indictment.

Duncan supplied heroin to Rankin and Perry for distribution in the Youngstown area. Perry supplied heroin to Devine for distribution in the Youngstown area, according to the indictment.

It was further part of the conspiracy that cellular telephones, code words and phrases were used by the co-conspirators to facilitate their drug trafficking activities.

If convicted, the defendants’ sentences will be determined by the Court after review of factors unique to this case, including the defendant’s prior criminal record, if any, the defendant’s role in the offense and the characteristics of the violations.  In all cases, the sentence will not exceed the statutory maximum and, in most cases, it will be less than the maximum.

The investigation preceding the indictment was conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David M. Toepfer.

An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt.  A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.