South Bend Man Sentenced To 10 Years In Prison

For Conspiracy to Distribute Heroin

SOUTH BEND – Isaiah Whitmore, age 27, of South Bend, Indiana, was sentenced by United States District Court Chief Judge Jon E. DeGuilio upon his plea of guilty to conspiracy to distribute heroin, announced United States Attorney Thomas L. Kirsch II.

Mr. Whitemore was sentenced to 120 months in prison followed by 5 years of supervised release.

According to documents in this case, from March 2017 up to and including October 2017, Mr. Whitmore and other co-defendants knowingly and intentionally conspired to distribute a Schedule I controlled substance, heroin, in excess of 1 kilogram.   The group shared at least one cell phone which was used to arrange heroin sales.  Members of the group would receive the phone, along with multiple pre-packaged small baggies of heroin, from one of the other members of the group.  Buyers would call, and whichever member of the group had the phone would arrange the transaction.  The majority of the proceeds would be turned over to higher ranking members of the group. 

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the Drug Enforcement Administration; the Indiana State Police; the Mishawaka Police Department; St. Joseph County Drug Investigations Unit; the St. Joseph County Police Department; the St. Joseph County Prosecuting Attorney; and the United States Marshals Service.  The above agencies were also supported by Project Disarm, a Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Task Force; the Drug Enforcement Administration Task Force; Elkhart Police ICE Unit; and the United States Marshals Service Fugitive Task Force.  The case is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joel Gabrielse and Molly Donnelly.