Darryl D. Perkins Indicted on Heroin, Gun Charges

Darryl D. Perkins, 38, of the 2100 block of S. Renfro St. in Springfield, Illinois, is facing a federal indictment on five counts of distribution or possession with intent to distribute heroin, possession of a firearm during a drug trafficking offense, and possession of a firearm by a felon. The charges stem from five separate incidents between November 2016 and January 19, 2017, during which prosecutors allege Perkins dealt heroin while armed with a Colt Trooper MK3 .357 revolver.

The federal grand jury’s indictment follows Perkins’ arrest on January 20, 2017, after a criminal complaint was filed. He appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Tom Schanzle-Haskins on January 23, 2017, and was ordered held without bond by the U.S. Marshals Service. Authorities say the firearm was directly tied to his drug operation, escalating the severity of the charges.

The investigation was led by the Drug Enforcement Administration, Illinois State Police, Springfield Police Department, and the Illinois Attorney General’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Z. Weir is handling the prosecution. The case reflects a coordinated push against violent, drug-related crime in central Illinois.

In a separate but similarly charged case, Jamarr Moore, 20, of the 700 block of N. 14th St., Springfield, was indicted on one count of possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine, possession of a firearm during a drug trafficking offense, and possession of a firearm by a felon. Moore was arrested on state charges January 5, 2017, after allegedly being found with crack cocaine and a Glock .40 caliber semi-automatic firearm.

A federal criminal complaint against Moore was filed January 23, 2017—the same day he appeared in federal court before Judge Schanzle-Haskins, who also ordered him detained by the U.S. Marshals Service. The Springfield Police Department Street Crimes Unit, FBI, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives conducted the probe. Assistant U.S. Attorney Victor Yanz is prosecuting Moore’s case.

If convicted, Perkins faces up to 30 years in prison on each of the five heroin counts, a mandatory minimum of five years for firearm possession during drug trafficking—added consecutively—and up to 10 years for being a felon in possession of a gun. Moore faces up to 20 years for crack distribution, the same mandatory five-year gun sentence, and up to 10 years on the felon-in-possession count. Both remain in custody awaiting trial. An indictment is not a conviction—each defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.