Chester Drug Kingpin Paris Church Gets 30 Years

Paris Church, 57, of Chester, Pennsylvania, is headed to federal prison for 360 months after being convicted three times in connection with a sprawling drug trafficking ring that poisoned neighborhoods with cocaine, crack, and heroin. The sentence, handed down by U.S. District Judge Gerald A. McHugh, marks the end of a years-long legal battle that exposed the depth of Church’s criminal operation.

Church was convicted by a federal jury in March 2016, February 2017, and June 2017 on multiple counts of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances. The charges stem from a coordinated effort to flood Chester’s streets with narcotics between August 2012 and September 2014. Federal prosecutors proved Church wasn’t just a street-level dealer—he was a key architect in a network that stretched across state lines and tied into Mexican and California suppliers.

Investigators uncovered that in early 2014, Church orchestrated a plan to import roughly 20 kilograms of cocaine from a Mexican supplier. That single shipment, worth millions on the street, would have supercharged the opioid and crack crisis in a city already struggling with addiction and violence. He also coordinated with a California-based supplier to funnel additional drugs into Pennsylvania, feeding a deadly epidemic.

The case was built through a multi-agency crackdown involving the Drug Enforcement Administration, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Chester Police Department, Pennsylvania State Police, and the Delaware County District Attorney’s Office Criminal Investigation Division. Wiretaps, informant testimony, and seized evidence painted a damning picture of Church’s role as a central figure in the distribution chain.

U.S. Attorney William M. McSwain didn’t mince words: “Paris Church is a menace to the neighborhoods of Chester who needed to be convicted on federal charges three times to get the message: dealing illegal drugs and decimating neighborhoods will get you locked up for a long time.” He vowed continued crackdowns, stating, “This type of drug trafficking is dangerous and fanning the flames of the drug epidemic in this country.”

Prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys A. Nicole Phillips, Faithe Moore Taylor, and Robert E. Eckert, the case reflects the federal government’s aggressive stance on organized drug operations. With 30 years behind bars, Church’s reign is over—but the scars he left on Chester will take much longer to heal.