Career Offender Is Sentenced To More Than 19 Years In Federal Prison for Drug Trafficking

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Today, U.S. District Judge Robert J. Conrad Jr. sentenced Timothy Herron, 48, of Charlotte, to 235 months in prison and six years of supervised release for drug trafficking, announced Dena J. King, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.

According to filed documents and court proceedings, on January 7, 2021, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD) received information through its Crime Stoppers system that an individual was storing firearms and selling narcotics from his hotel room near the Charlotte Douglas International Airport. Officers investigating the complaint determined that the individual was Herron. Subsequently, CMPD officers conducted a search of Herron's hotel room, seizing heroin, cocaine, crack cocaine, and digital scales. The officers also seized two handguns, one of which had been reported stolen, and approximately $5,000 in cash.

On July 9, 2021, Herron pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute heroin, cocaine, and crack cocaine. At today's sentencing hearing, Herron's sentence was enhanced due to his classification as a "Career Offender" based on multiple prior convictions, including Possession with Intent to Sell/Deliver Cocaine in 1994, three charges of Robbery with Dangerous Weapon in 2000, federal Hobbs Act robbery in 2012, and Possession with Intent to Sell/Deliver Cocaine in 2018.

This case is the result of Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) operation which has led to the federal prosecution of more than 60 individuals for drug trafficking. Law enforcement have also seized more than 27 kilograms of cocaine, 3.5 kilograms of heroin, 29 kilograms of fentanyl, 49 kilograms of methamphetamine, 70 firearms, more than $385,000 in cash, and over $800,000 in other property.

OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles criminal organizations using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

In making today's announcement, U.S. Attorney King commended the Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations, CMPD, the Huntersville Police Department, and the Gastonia Police Department for their coordination and investigation of the case.

Assistant United States Attorney Steven Kaufman, of the U.S. Attorney's Office in Charlotte, prosecuted the case.