Memphis Man Sentenced To 27 Years In Prison For Heroin Distribution

Memphis, TN – Harold McDuffie, 49, of Memphis was sentenced yesterday by Chief U.S. District Judge Jon P. McCalla to 27 years in prison for his role in masterminding a heroin distribution ring, announced U.S. Attorney Edward L. Stanton III.

According to facts revealed during sentencing, McDuffie was one of the principal organizers of a heroin trafficking organization based in the Hyde Park area of Memphis. After the heroin was brought into the city from Chicago, McDuffie was responsible for identifying and organizing stash houses in the neighborhood where drugs were stored.

Before his indictment in May 2012, McDuffie conspired to distribute and did distribute heroin worth thousands of dollars throughout the area. Testimony during sentencing held McDuffie personally responsible for distributing up to three kilograms of heroin, and the organization for distributing as much as seven kilograms of heroin.

The investigation began as a result of a series of heroin overdose deaths in the Hyde Park area. McDuffie pleaded guilty on November 7, 2012, to one count of conspiracy to distribute heroin and one count of heroin distribution. In addition to the prison sentence, Chief Judge McCalla ordered McDuffie to serve eight years of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal prison system.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration. Assistant United States Attorney Daniel French represented the government.

This case was prosecuted under the authority of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Program. OCDETF was established in 1982 to mount a comprehensive attack against organized drug traffickers. Today, the OCDETF Program is the centerpiece of the United States Attorney General’s drug strategy to reduce the availability of drugs by disrupting and dismantling major drug trafficking organizations, money laundering organizations and related criminal enterprises.