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Derrick Jones, Murder and Heroin Trafficking, Mississippi 2017
OXFORD, MS – Derrick Jones, a Clarksdale man, has been sentenced to 400 months in federal prison for his role in a murder and heroin distribution conspiracy in the Northern District of Mississippi. Jones was sentenced in United States District Court on Thursday afternoon.
The investigation into the murder and heroin distribution conspiracy was sparked by multiple fatal opioid overdoses and hospitalizations in the Mississippi Delta. The joint investigation, involving the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics, and the United States Attorney’s Office, unveiled a large heroin and cocaine trafficking organization operating predominantly in Coahoma County, Mississippi.
In total, twelve defendants were sentenced in federal court for their roles in the drug trafficking conspiracy. The defendants were sentenced as follows:
- Derrick Jones pleaded guilty in July of 2017 to one count of conspiracy to distribute heroin and one count of murder. U.S. District Judge Debra M. Brown sentenced Jones to a total of 400 months imprisonment, followed by 5 years of supervised release.
- Steven Haynes pleaded guilty in June of 2017 to one count of conspiracy to distribute heroin in excess of 100 grams and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering. Judge Brown ordered Haynes to serve a total of 240 months in custody, followed by 5 years of supervised release.
- Errick Hackler, a heroin supplier from Chicago, Illinois, pleaded guilty in April of 2016 to one count of conspiracy to distribute heroin in excess of 100 grams and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering. Judge Brown ordered Hackler to serve a total of 67 months in custody, followed by 5 years of supervised release.
- Craig Haynes of Clarksdale, Mississippi, pleaded guilty in June of 2017 to one count of conspiracy to distribute heroin in excess of 100 grams. Judge Brown ordered Haynes to serve 85 months in custody, followed by 5 years of supervised release.
- Mark Connor of Clarksdale, Mississippi pleaded guilty to accessory to murder, after the fact, during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime. In November of 2016, U.S. District Judge Neal B. Biggers, Jr. sentenced Connor to 70 months in custody, followed by 3 years of supervised release.
- Cordarell Johnson of Clarksdale, Mississippi, pleaded guilty in April of 2016 to one count of conspiracy to distribute heroin in excess of 100 grams. Judge Brown ordered Johnson to serve 75 months in custody, followed by 5 years of supervised release.
- Octavious Conner of Clarksdale, Mississippi, pleaded guilty in April of 2016 to one count of conspiracy to distribute heroin in excess of 100 grams. Judge Brown ordered Conner to serve 35 months in custody, followed by 5 years of supervised release.
U.S. Attorney William C. Lamar, along with other law enforcement officials, praised the dismantling of the organization and vowed to continue pursuing dangerous organizations and individuals in the Northern District of Mississippi. The investigation was made possible by the Project Safe Neighborhood Initiative and the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force.
Key Facts
- State: Mississippi
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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