Man sentenced to 14 years for selling heroin in South Bend

SOUTH BEND — A Chicago man was sentenced Thursday for distributing heroin in the South Bend area.

Terron Taylor, 23, was sentenced to 14 years followed by five years of supervised release. He pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute heroin.

From March to October 2017, Taylor worked with a group of other dealers to distribute more than two pounds of heroin on the streets of South Bend, according to court documents. Buyers would call a "drug phone" and whichever dealer had the phone at the time would arrange a meeting to complete the sale.

"The business model was efficient: transactions were quick and without hassle," according to court documents.

Investigators conducted numerous controlled purchases and met with and identified multiple dealers, most of which were from Chicago. On four occasions, Taylor was involved in selling heroin to the investigators.

“Drug dealers target areas of cities and towns for drug distribution. We are targeting them. As we catch them, we will seek lengthy penalties for spreading poison on our streets," U.S. Attorney Thomas Kirsch, said. "This case is a prime example of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies working together to combat the drug epidemic.”