Kelvin Eugene Patterson, Jr., Marijuana Trafficking, Illinois 2025

Peoria Man Faces Lengthy Sentence for Marijuana Trafficking

PEORIA, Ill. – In a significant blow to the local narcotics trade, a 39-year-old Peoria man has been sentenced to 12 years of imprisonment for his role in a conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute more than 100 kilograms of marijuana.

Kelvin Eugene Patterson, Jr., was sentenced on March 4, 2025, in federal court by Senior U.S. District Judge Michael M. Mihm. Patterson must also serve four years of supervised release following his imprisonment. Additionally, he was ordered to pay a fine of $26,140, separate from monies forfeited in the case.

The charges against Patterson stem from a federal grand jury indictment returned in May 2023, which added him and his partner, Marcus L. Burnside, to the list of defendants. Burnside, also of Peoria, pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute more than 100 kilograms of marijuana and to possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking in June 2024.

Burnside was subsequently sentenced to 120 months of imprisonment, consisting of two consecutive 60-month sentences for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute more than 100 kilograms of marijuana and for possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking. He was also ordered to serve four years of supervised release following his imprisonment.

According to the government, Patterson and Burnside engaged in a conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute marijuana from March 2021 through April 2023. During this time, they maintained a loft apartment on Main Street in Peoria, which they used for storing and distributing marijuana. Law enforcement observed several individuals leaving the building, who were stopped and searched, and various quantities of marijuana were seized.

In total, Patterson and Burnside were responsible for the distribution and possession of 310 kilograms (683 pounds) of marijuana. The statutory penalties for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute more than 100 kilograms of marijuana are five to forty years of imprisonment, and up to a $5 million dollar fine, followed by at least four years of supervised release.

The case against Patterson and Burnside is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program aimed at bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence.

The Peoria Area Federal Firearms Task Force, comprised of agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the Peoria Police Department; the Peoria County Sheriff’s Department; Illinois Department of Corrections; and the Illinois State Police, investigated the case with the assistance of the Internal Revenue Service.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-cdil/pr/two-peoria-men-sentenced-drug-and-firearm-offenses