Oliver distributed heroin near 4 local parks and an elementary school.
A man who distributed heroin was sentenced May 29, 2019, to 25 years in federal prison.
Shelton Oliver, a/k/a Sinbad, 48, from Sioux City, Iowa, received the prison term after an Aug. 14, 2018, jury verdict finding him guilty of one count of conspiracy to distribute heroin and four counts of distribution of heroin, all within 1000 feet of a protected location. Prior to being found guilty in Sioux City, Oliver had been convicted of two serious felony drug offenses in Illinois.
Evidence at trial showed that Oliver distributed heroin on February 7, 14, and 27, 2018, and March 13, 2018, to a confidential informant utilized by law enforcement. Evidence also showed that Oliver was involved in a conspiracy to distribute heroin in the Sioux City area from 2016 through approximately March 27, 2018. Evidence proved that the conspiracy and the four separate distributions all occurred within 1000 feet of protected locations, namely: Dale Street Park, Grandview Park, Alfred Thompson Children’s Park, Dinosaur Park, and Hunt Elementary School, in Sioux City, Iowa.
Evidence at trial also showed that on October 6, 2017, Oliver distributed heroin to Ty Olsen, who later died on this same date from a heroin overdose. The evidence at trial further showed that on March 13, 2018, Oliver, dealing heroin out of a car, sold heroin to a confidential informant while another person was overdosing in the passenger seat. Fortunately, the other person was later revived by medical personnel.
Oliver was sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand. Oliver was sentenced to 300 months’ imprisonment. He must also serve a 10-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system. Oliver is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Jack Lammers and Mikala Steenholdt and was investigated by the Tri-State Drug Task Force based in Sioux City, Iowa, that consists of law enforcement personnel from the Drug Enforcement Administration; Sioux City, Iowa, Police Department; Homeland Security Investigations; Woodbury County Sheriff’s Office; South Sioux City, Nebraska, Police Department; Nebraska State Patrol; Iowa National Guard; Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement; United States Marshals Service; South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation; and Woodbury County Attorney’s Office.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. The case file number is 18-4038. Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
