CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — A local heroin dealer is facing serious prison time after pleading guilty to a string of serious charges.
Darius Jermaine Blakemore, also known as "Tank," 28, of Chattanooga, Tennessee, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute heroin resulting in death, distribution of heroin resulting in death, possession with intent to distribute cocaine, possession with intent to distribute crack, and possession with intent to distribute heroin.
The charges stem from a February 2016 incident in which Blakemore sold a gram of heroin to Jessica Rachels for $200.00 in the parking lot of a McDonald’s in Chattanooga. After Rachels arrived at the parking lot, Blakemore gave the heroin to one of his runners, Joshua Corbett, who delivered the heroin to Rachels. Rachels gave a portion of the heroin she received from Corbett to Logan Whiteaker, who drove her to the drug deal. Tragically, Whiteaker was found dead the next morning in his residence in Red Bank, Tennessee, with a hypodermic needle clutched in his hand and a blue container with .64 grams of heroin inside.
Blakemore’s guilty plea comes after he entered the plea agreement on file with the U.S. District Court, in which he agreed to serve a prison sentence of 23 years. Federal law provides enhanced penalties for drug dealers who distribute controlled substances that lead to overdose deaths, including a 20-year mandatory minimum sentence.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Tennessee has made it clear that they will not stand idle as the death toll from heroin continues to rise. "Heroin has proven to be a deadly poison that does not discriminate. Its victims include every gender, race, age, and economic background, and its debilitating effects are the same across all demographics," said U.S. Attorney Nancy Stallard Harr.
The investigation into Blakemore’s activities was a joint effort between the Drug Enforcement Administration, Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office, Chattanooga Police Department, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, Tennessee Highway Patrol, and Red Bank Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael D. Porter and Scott Winne represented the United States in the case.
Key Facts
- State: Tennessee
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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