Former Deputy Sheriff Convicted in Pennsylvania Drug Trafficking Case

HARRISBURG – In a shocking turn of events, Christopher Mark Heath, a 38-year-old former deputy sheriff from the Yuba County Sheriff’s Office in California, has been convicted of possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking, conspiracy to manufacture and distribute 100 kilograms of marijuana, conspiracy to launder drug proceeds, and an additional drug trafficking count.

A two-day jury trial in Harrisburg before U.S. District Court Judge Yvette Kane resulted in a guilty verdict, with the jury returning in less than two hours of deliberation. Heath’s co-defendants, who previously pleaded guilty, were also involved in the conspiracy, which began in September 2014 and continued until January 7, 2016.

Heath, who was assigned as a narcotics investigator at the time, grew marijuana on property in Oroville, CA, and shipped it through the United States Postal Service to several locations, including post office boxes in York and Lancaster, Pennsylvania, as well as to a home address in the Hanover area. Money to purchase additional marijuana was mailed from the York County, PA area to Bangor, California.

In December 2015, Heath and his co-conspirators traveled from California to York County in two vehicles, transporting 89.5 kilograms of marijuana worth just under half a million dollars. Heath’s truck contained the entire quantity of marijuana as well as a loaded Glock firearm and his deputy sheriff’s badge. When Heath and his co-conspirators arrived to deliver the marijuana in York County, they were arrested by the York County Drug Task Force and Penn Township Police Department.

Heath has additional firearms charges pending in Butte County, California. The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, the York County Drug Task Force, Penn Township Police Department, the Butte County Sheriff’s Department (California), the United States Postal Inspection Service, and the United States Postal Service Office of Inspector General. Assistant United States Attorneys Meredith A. Taylor and Joseph J. Terz are prosecuting the case.

The maximum penalty for the offense of possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking is life imprisonment, with a mandatory minimum sentence of five years imprisonment. The maximum penalty for conspiracy to manufacture, distribute, and possess with intent to manufacture and distribute 100 kilograms and more of marijuana is 40 years’ imprisonment, with a mandatory minimum sentence of five years’ imprisonment. The maximum penalty for conspiracy to commit money laundering is 20 years’ imprisonment, and the count of manufacture, distribution, and possession with intent to manufacture and distribute marijuana carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years.

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