Andrea Miller, 48, and Steven Mason, 48, both of Washington, D.C., have been convicted on federal charges tied to a sprawling heroin trafficking network that funneled deadly narcotics from Nigeria into the streets of the nation’s capital. A jury found them guilty after a trial in U.S. District Court, marking a major win for federal prosecutors in their war against transnational drug operations exploiting postal and shipping channels.
Miller was convicted of conspiracy to import 100 grams or more of heroin and a quantity of alprazolam from a foreign country. Both Miller and Mason were found guilty of conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute the same quantities. They now face a mandatory minimum of five years in prison, with possible sentences stretching up to 20 years. Sentencing is scheduled for June 19, 2018, before Judge Tanya S. Chutkan.
The convictions are the latest fallout from a May 2016 indictment that swept up 14 defendants linked to a drug trafficking organization with supply lines rooted in Nigeria and distribution hubs across Washington, D.C., and Maryland. Eleven co-defendants have already been convicted. One remains at large as a fugitive, authorities confirm.
According to trial evidence, from August 2014 through June 2016, Miller orchestrated the smuggling of narcotics via international shipments, often concealing heroin and alprazolam inside clothing and everyday items. Packages were routed from countries like India, addressed with fake names to D.C.-area locations, and delivered through the U.S. Postal Service and commercial carriers. Higher-level operatives either retrieved the packages directly or paid unsuspecting civilians to accept them in exchange for cash or drugs.
The network flooded high-traffic zones in Northeast D.C.—including 11th and H Street NE, Fourth Street and Florida Avenue NE, and 19th and Benning Road NE—with significant heroin quantities before expanding distribution into Maryland. The operation turned the mail system into a pipeline for poison, directly fueling the city’s opioid crisis.
The investigation was led by Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and the Metropolitan Police Department. Prosecution was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kenneth F. Whitted, Jamila Hodge, and Thomas Swanton, with support from the federal Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) and paralegal specialists Candace Battle, Catherine O’Neal, Teesha Tobias, and Mary Downi.
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Key Facts
- State: Washington DC
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Organized Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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