Columbia, South Carolina---- United States Attorney Beth Drake announced today that Peter Allen Murphy, age 33, from Mullins, South Carolina, was sentenced in federal court in Florence, South Carolina, for Possession With Intent to Distribute and Distribution of Heroin, in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1), and Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(g). United States District Judge R. Bryan Harwell, of Florence, sentenced Murphy to 60 months imprisonment followed by three years of supervised released.
Evidence presented at the change of plea on January 9, 2017, and at the sentencing hearing established that, beginning in 2015, the Marion County Drug Unit (MCDU) and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) were investigating illegal drug activity complaints concerning Murphy. As a result, agents made several controlled purchases of illegal drugs from Murphy. In March 2016, agents made a controlled purchase of heroin and as well as a firearm from Murphy at an apartment complex in Marion, South Carolina. Murphy was previously convicted of a felony offense and prohibited from possessing the firearm that he sold.
The case was investigated by agents from the Marion County Drug Unit (MCDU) and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). Assistant United States Attorney Christopher D. Taylor of the Florence office prosecuted the case. ##
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
