Columbia Man Sentenced to Over 8 Years in Federal Prison for Distributing Heroin and Fentanyl

COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA — Jeffrey Tavoun Allen, 34, of Columbia, was sentenced to more than 8 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to possession with intent to distribute and distribution of heroin and fentanyl.

Evidence presented to the court showed that in September 2020, investigators with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Richland County Sheriff’s Department (RCSD) made controlled buys of fentanyl-laced heroin from Allen. When Allen was arrested in December 2020, Allen was in possession of cocaine base, fentanyl, and methamphetamine. Allen also had plastic baggies used in packaging drugs and a digital scale. 

In 2007, Allen was convicted in South Carolina state court for possession with intent to distribute cocaine base. In 2018, Allen was again convicted in state court for multiple counts of distributing heroin.

United States District Judge Sherri A. Lydon sentenced Allen to 100 months in prison, to be followed by a three-year term of court-ordered supervision.  There is no parole in the federal system.

This case was prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts.  PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime.  Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them.  As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Richland County Sheriff’s Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher D. Taylor is prosecuting the case.

###