U.S. Department
of Justice
University Heights man indicted with four pounds of heroin, 11 pounds of cocaine and 10 firearms
A University Heights man was indicted in federal court after investigators found him with more than four pounds of heroin, approximately 11 pounds of cocaine and 10 firearms, said Carole S. Rendon, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio.
Marcus Labrone Morris, 42, was named in a four-count indictment, charged with possession with intent to distribute heroin, possession with intent to distribute cocaine, being a felon in possession of firearms, and operating the home at 3582 Farland Road as a drug house.
U.S. Postal Inspectors interdicted a package sent from California to 3598 East 147th Street in Cleveland on Oct. 3. The package was address to Mrs. Momma James. The package was later determined to contain two kilograms of heroin – one kilogram a light gray powdery substance and the other kilogram a black tarlike substance, according to court documents.
The package was delivered and on Oct. 4, Morris took the target package from the porch on East 147th Street and placed it in the bed of his truck. After approximately 20 minutes, during which time Morris was making counter-surveillance maneuvers, he was arrested and the package was recovered. Morris and his wife then gave consent to search their home at 3582 Farland Drive in University Heights. Investigators found approximately five kilograms of cocaine and 10 firearms and ammunition, according to court documents.
Morris is forbidden from possessing firearms because he was convicted of cocaine trafficking in 2001 in Trumbull County Common Pleas Court.
“This case is another grim reminder that heroin and other dangerous drugs are in our community and don’t adhere to any boundaries,” Rendon said. “We will continue to work with our partners to get narcotics off the streets and firearms out of the hands of people who are not allowed to possess them.”
If convicted, the defendant’s sentence 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 violation. In all cases the sentence will not exceed the statutory maximum and in most cases it will be less than the maximum.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Matthew Cronin following an investigation by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.
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.