Fort Wayne Man Sentenced to 120 Months in Prison

FORT WAYNE –Derriel L. Jones, 39 years old, of Fort Wayne, Indiana, was sentenced by United States District Court Chief Judge Holly A. Brady after pleading guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute cocaine, announced United States Attorney Clifford D. Johnson.

Jones was sentenced to 120 months in prison to be followed by 5 years of supervised release.

According to documents in this case, from July through October 2021, Jones conspired with others to distribute and possess with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine.  These charges stemmed in part from a traffic stop in October 2021, during which officers seized cocaine, fentanyl, and cash.  

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Fort Wayne Safe Streets Gang Task Force, with the task force members being the FBI, the Indiana State Police, the Allen County Police Department, and the Fort Wayne Police Department.  Also assisting in this investigation were the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Anthony Geller and Brent Ecenbarger.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

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