December 02, 2016
Contact: SA Crystal Harper
Phone Number: (571) 362-3433
For Immediate Release

Heroin Dealer Sentenced To 144 Months

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. - Curtis Allen Coleman, 41, of Dayton, Ohio, was sentenced to serve 144 months in prison by the Honorable Travis R. McDonough, United States District Judge. Coleman pleaded guilty in August 2016 to a federal indictment charging him with, among other things, Conspiracy to Distribute Heroin.

The indictment and subsequent conviction of Coleman was the result of an investigation conducted by the Drug Enforcement (DEA). John McGarry, the Resident Agent in Charge of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration in Chattanooga stated, “Heroin knows no boundaries, it destroys its victims like a predator ravages its prey. Two lives were nearly lost at the hands of Mr. Coleman. Thanks to the great work of first responders, they survived. Mr. Coleman, however, is deserving of his sentence for his criminal acts. Many thanks to the collaboration of law enforcement agencies who made this investigation a success.”

According to information on file with the United States District Court, Coleman sold heroin to two individuals on March 9, 2016. Those two persons, a male and a female, overdosed in the parking lot of a Speedway in Hamilton County, Tennessee that same day, shortly after using the heroin they purchased from Coleman. The heroin Coleman sold them was laced with fentanyl, a deadly synthetic opioid used by drug dealers to increase the potency of their illicit product. The two heroin users had to be resuscitated and revived by emergency responders through the deployment of NARCAN, an opioid antidote. As part of his plea agreement with the United States, Coleman admitted he conspired with others to distribute heroin in the Eastern District of Tennessee.

Coleman’s 12-year sentence of imprisonment is not subject to parole. He will further serve a 4-year term of supervised release, to be imposed upon his release from incarceration.

Assistant United States Attorney Michael D. Porter represented the United States.

The DEA encourages parents, along with their children, to educate themselves about the dangers of legal and illegal drugs by visiting DEA’s interactive websites at www.justthinktwice.com, www.GetSmartAboutDrugs.com and www.dea.gov.