Convicted felon found guilty of conspiring to sell three kilograms of heroin and possession of a loaded firearm
Defendant arrested by DEA at the Hilton Hotel near JFK Airport
BROOKLYN, NY - Earlier today, following a three day trial, a federal jury in Brooklyn returned a guilty verdict against Clyde Miller on charges of conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute heroin, possessing a firearm during a drug trafficking crime and being a felon in possession of a firearm. Miller and others had agreed to sell three kilograms of heroin to an undercover police office for over $170,000. When sentenced by United States District Judge Margo K. Brodie, Miller faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years’ imprisonment and maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
Richard P. Donoghue, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, and James J. Hunt, Special Agent-in-Charge, Drug Enforcement Administration, New York Division, announced the guilty verdict.
“As the jury found, Clyde Miller was armed with a gun when he showed up for a heroin deal at a hotel near JFK International Airport,” stated United States Attorney Donoghue. “Through the outstanding work of our prosecutors and law enforcement officers, a source for dangerous drugs was shut down and a deadly weapon was taken out of the hands of a convicted felon and off the street.” Mr. Donoghue expressed his grateful appreciation to the Broward County Sheriff’s Office in Florida for their assistance in the investigation.
“It is estimated that 70,000 people died as a result of drug abuse last year in the United States,” said DEA Special Agent-in-Charge Hunt. “This conviction sends a message to traffickers that law enforcement is committed to bringing opioid traffickers to justice. I commend the agents and prosecutors on their hard work.”
Evidence presented at trial, including undercover recordings and physical surveillance, established that on April 17, 2017, Miller and his co-conspirators drove to the Hilton Hotel near JFK International Airport to complete the sale of three kilograms of heroin for more than $170,000. Unbeknownst to Miller, the purchaser of the heroin was an undercover police officer. At approximately 3:00 p.m., Miller and his co-conspirators arrived in the hotel parking lot in a 2013 white Dodge Durango. A co-conspirator approached the undercover officer and handed him a black bag, which contained a brick of heroin. DEA agents observing the transaction moved in and arrested Miller and his co-conspirators. A loaded .380-caliber semi-automatic handgun was found tucked in the back of Miller’s waistband. Miller had previously been convicted of a felony.
The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s General Crimes Section. Assistant United States Attorney Temidayo Aganga-Williams is in charge of the prosecution.
The Defendant:
Clyde Miller (also known as “Quan Miller”) Age: 41
Oil City, Pennsylvania
E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 17-CR-415 (S-1) (MKB)
