Jackson County Resident Charged With Drug Offenses

On May 8, 2018, Dwayne L. Watson, a/k/a "C," 44, of Murphysboro, Illinois, was charged by indictment with two counts of Unlawful Distribution of Heroin and one count of Unlawful Distribution of Cocaine, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, Donald S. Boyce, announced today. The indictment alleges that the offenses occurred in Jackson County on October 27, 2017, February 7, 2018, and March 6, 2018. On May 14, 2018, Watson made his initial appearance in federal court. He was ordered held without bond pending a July 9, 2018 jury trial.

Under the law, a defendant is presumed to be innocent of a charge until proved guilty beyond a reasonable doubt to the satisfaction of a jury. The drug offenses each carry a maximum penalty of up to 20 years imprisonment, three years supervised release, and a fine of $1,000,000.00.

The ongoing investigation is being conducted by the Southern Illinois Drug Task Force. The Jackson County States Attorney’s Office also assisted in the investigation.