Convicted Operation Blue Bulldog Defendant Faces 10 Years to Life in Prison

PEORIA, IL—Sentencing is scheduled in October 2013 for a Bloomington, Illinois man charged last summer with cocaine trafficking in the Bloomington-Normal area. Perry Harrington, 34, of the 300 block of Riley Drive, was one of the defendants arrested and charged as a result of the cooperative investigation known as Operation Blue Bulldog that targeted an alleged network of more than 15 defendants charged with distribution of cocaine and crack cocaine in the area.

A jury deliberated for more than one hour on Wednesday, June 5, 2013, before finding Harrington guilty of the seven counts charged, including two counts of distribution of more than 28 grams of crack cocaine. The government presented evidence during the three days of trial that included video and audio surveillance of Harrington’s sales of cocaine and crack cocaine in 2011.

The charges were the result of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation known as Operation Blue Bulldog. The investigation began in 2010 by the FBI’s Peoria Area Safe Streets Task Force, the Normal Police Department, Bloomington Police Department, and the Illinois State Police. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Greggory R. Walters and Bradley W. Murphy represented the government at trial before Chief U.S. District Judge James E. Shadid in Peoria.

At sentencing, scheduled on October 10, 2013, Harrington faces a statutory mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years to life in prison.

Harrington has remained in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service since his arrest in August 2012.