ATLANTA - Derrick Douglas, a/k/a “Dre", has been sentenced for conspiring to sell heroin to minors and young adults who traveled from North Georgia to the English Avenue community to purchase drugs. Douglas also sold fentanyl, a particularly deadly narcotic, to an undercover officer.
“Douglas sold heroin to high school students and young adults who traveled from North Georgia to English Avenue specifically to purchase drugs," said U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay" Pak. “We are committed to working with our federal, state and local law enforcement partners to aggressively target and dismantle drug trafficking operations and to combating the devastation drug activity brings to our communities."
“Today’s sentence demonstrates ATF’s continued dedication to identify and arrest the individuals who commit crimes that threaten the quality of life in our neighborhoods," said ATF Special Agent in Charge Arthur Peralta. “ATF and our law enforcement partners will continue to reduce violent crime by arresting criminals, such as Douglas, who have no regard for the future of our children or for the safety of the communities in which they live."
“This conviction demonstrates the great work of law enforcement at all levels in the fight against Georgia’s opioid epidemic," said Georgia Bureau of Investigation Director Vernon Keenan. “The GBI is committed to working with our local and federal partners in drug enforcement no matter where the crimes occur."
“The Union County Sheriff’s Office was fortunate to be able to have played a small part of this successful operation." said Sheriff Mason. “It saddens me to see the negative affects this drug has on the young people today. I appreciate the working relations shared between the U.S. Attorney’s Office and numerous other agencies in order to achieve a successful outcome."
According to U.S. Attorney Pak, the charges and other information presented in court: As part of an ongoing heroin trafficking investigation in North Georgia, the Union County Sheriff’s Office learned that high school students and young adults from Union County, Georgia, were traveling from four to six hours a week to the English Avenue neighborhood of Atlanta to purchase heroin from an individual known as “Dre" - later identified as Derrick Douglas. Investigators confirmed that Douglas was selling between one half to a gram of heroin to each of his young customers at a cost of $100-$150 dollars. Investigators determined that most of Douglas’s identified customers were younger than 21 years old, and at least one of them was a minor.
Douglas knew that many of these young people returned to Union County to distribute the heroin. Douglas was arrested on June 23, 2017. In or around September 2016 through June 23, 2017, he distributed more than 80 grams of heroin to these young people. On Jan. 25, 2017, he also sold fentanyl to an undercover officer employed by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.
Derrick Douglas, a/k/a “Dre", age 31, of Atlanta, Georgia, has been sentenced to five years in prison to be followed by six years of supervised release. Douglas pleaded guilty on Nov. 29, 2017, to conspiracy to sell heroin to individuals under 21 years old.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Atlanta Police Department, Georgia Bureau of Investigation, and Union County, Georgia, Sheriff’s Office.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Laurel R. Boatright prosecuted the case.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Atlanta recommends parents and children learn about the dangers of drugs at the following web site: www.justthinktwice.gov.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
