Conspiracy to Distribute Heroin, Distribution of Heroin, and Firearms Offenses
Rock Island, IL-(ENEWSPF)- Four alleged members of the “Glizzy Gang” engaged in a conspiracy to distribute heroin in the Quad Cities and were sentenced on December 16, 2021, to multi-year terms in federal prison.
Adell Moore, 31, of the 1400 block of 38th Street, in Rock Island, Illinois, was sentenced to 240 months’ imprisonment for conspiracy to distribute heroin and possession of a firearm by a felon.
Mandell Moore, 25, of the 600 block of West 61st Street in Chicago, Illinois, was sentenced to 135 months’ imprisonment for conspiracy to distribute heroin, possession with intent to distribute heroin, and possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking.
Diontae Brown, 33, of the 3000 block of 26th Street in Rock Island was sentenced to 84 months’ imprisonment for conspiracy to distribute heroin and possession with intent to distribute heroin.
Kendrick Prince, 31, of the 1800 block of West Vienna Avenue in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, was sentenced to 81 months’ imprisonment for conspiracy to distribute heroin and distribution of heroin.
Each of the defendants previously pleaded guilty to the offenses. At the sentencing hearing, the government presented evidence that Moore, Moore, Brown, Prince, and others, who referred to themselves as the “Glizzy Gang,” conspired together to sell heroin in the Quad Cities between 2016 and 2019 and regularly and illegally carried firearms.
At the hearing, Chief U.S. District Court Judge Sara Darrow found that Adell Moore was the leader of the conspiracy and stated that the defendants created a “path of destruction in this community,” referencing their involvement with guns and drugs and other violent acts. Chief Judge Darrow stated that the defendants found a “lucrative market” in the Quad Cities and profited from “others’ pain, misery, and addiction.”
Chief Judge Darrow previously sentenced co-defendant Anthony McGhee, 23, of the 6200 block of Brown Street in Bettendorf, Iowa, to 180 months’ imprisonment for conspiracy to distribute heroin and carrying a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime.
“This case is another example of the collaborative efforts of federal and local law enforcement agencies to target major drug organizations,” said U.S. Attorney Gregory K. Harris. “These organizations poison our communities with illegal drugs and increase the likelihood of violent crime in our neighborhoods. The sentences imposed reflect the serious nature of the defendants’ offenses.”
“The opioid epidemic is a public crisis fueled by criminals like these four individuals who spread toxins into our communities to feed addictions,” said David Nanz, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Springfield Office. “Additionally, drug activity is a gateway to other crimes like gun violence, homicide, and robbery. The FBI, along with our law enforcement partners, takes an all-encompassing approach to investigating drug trafficking, targeting and dismantling the most significant source of drug operations. These combined sentences of 540 months will significantly impact the quantity of drugs flowing through our neighborhoods and keep dangerous criminals off our streets for quite some time.”
The statutory penalty for conspiracy to distribute at least one kilogram of heroin is a mandatory minimum of ten years and up to life in prison. The statutory penalty for distribution of heroin and possession with intent to distribute heroin is not more than twenty years’ imprisonment. The statutory penalty for possession of a firearm as a felon is up to ten years’ imprisonment. The statutory penalty for possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime is a mandatory minimum five years imprisonment, to be served consecutively to any other term of imprisonment.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Quad Cities Federal Gang Task Force investigated the case with the assistance of the East Moline Police Department, the Rock Island County Sheriff’s Office, the Rock Island Police Department, and the Silvis Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alyssa Raya represented the government in the prosecution.
This is a release from the United States Department of Justice.
