District Man Convicted of Federal Charges for Role as Heroin Supplier to Drug Trafficking Network
Drug Ring Operated in Potomac Gardens Housing Complex

WASHINGTON—Heyward Sanders, 56, of Washington, D.C., has been convicted by a jury of federal charges stemming from his activities as a supplier of heroin to a drug trafficking network, announced U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr.; James W. McJunkin, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office; and Cathy L. Lanier, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

The verdict, returned May 3, 2011, followed a trial in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Sanders was convicted of a charge of conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute heroin. The Honorable Senior Judge Thomas F. Hogan scheduled sentencing for July 14, 2011. Sanders faces a maximum sentence of 40 years of incarceration.

During the trial, the government’s evidence established that between November 2008 and June 2010, Sanders supplied heroin to a drug trafficking network that operated in and around the Potomac Gardens public housing complex in Southeast Washington. Several co-defendants earlier pled guilty to charges in the case.

The investigation was led by the FBI/MPD Safe Streets Task Force. The Safe Streets Initiative involves more than 150 Safe Streets Task Forces around the country that combat street gangs by combining federal, state, and local police resources.

In announcing the verdict, U.S. Attorney Machen, Assistant Director McJunkin, and Chief Lanier commended the work of the FBI and MPD members of the task force. They also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialists Carolyn Carter-McKinley and Sam Reisen, Information Technology Specialist Kimberly Smith, and Legal Assistant Eric Urschel.

Finally, they praised the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kenneth F. Whitted, Steven B. Wasserman, and David B. Kent, who investigated and prosecuted the case.