Duane Andrews Gets 136 Months for Roanoke Heroin Sales

DUANE A. ANDREWS, 37, of Jersey City, New Jersey, is headed to federal prison for more than a decade after being caught selling heroin in the streets of Roanoke, Virginia. The conviction marks another strike in the ongoing battle against opioid trafficking in the region, with federal prosecutors calling the sentence a necessary blow to out-of-state dealers exploiting local drug markets.

Andrews was sentenced today to 136 months in federal prison by the United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia. The punishment follows his guilty plea to one count of distribution of heroin—a charge stemming from controlled buys made by a confidential law enforcement source. The operation was part of a broader crackdown on narcotics flowing into the Roanoke Valley.

Court records show that evidence presented by Assistant United States Attorney Andrew Bassford detailed multiple transactions where Andrews directly sold heroin to the informant. The deals were monitored and recorded, sealing his fate once federal agents moved in for the arrest. No plea bargaining softened the outcome—Andrews now faces over 11 years behind bars.

The investigation was a joint effort by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Roanoke City Police Department, the Virginia State Police, and the Roanoke HIDTA task force. These agencies have intensified collaboration in recent years to disrupt supply chains feeding the region’s addiction crisis, with out-of-state traffickers like Andrews increasingly in their crosshairs.

Acting United States Attorney Rick A. Mountcastle emphasized that federal prosecutors will continue to pursue maximum consequences for those distributing deadly narcotics. “Heroin kills,” Mountcastle said in a statement. “When individuals from outside Virginia bring this poison into our communities, we respond with the full weight of federal law.”

Andrews, a resident of Jersey City, New Jersey, offered no defense at sentencing. His 136-month sentence will be followed by a term of supervised release, the conditions of which will be determined by the court. The case underscores the federal government’s focus on dismantling drug networks, one dealer at a time.