EAST ST. LOUIS — A 21-year-old Chicago man has been sentenced to 70-months in federal prison on charges he distributed heroin in Marion County between 2012 and 2014.

According to Stephen R. Wigginton, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, Dominique A. Burwell, was convicted on charges of conspiracy to distribute heroin from September 2012 through October 2014, in Marion County, as well as distribution of heroin on July 29, 2014, in Marion County.

In addition to his nearly 6-year federal prison sentence, Burwell will have to serve 4-years federal parole.
According to court documents, Burwell agreed with his co-defendants, a cousin and a friend, to distribute heroin for profit in Centralia. Burwell and the others shared a cell phone which customers would contact to order heroin.

Burwell often answered and shared the cell phone, took the order, and then sent the others to complete the transaction with the customer at whatever location Burwell had designated.

Information leading to the charges against Burwell was obtained in an investigation conducted by the FBI, as well as the Marion County and Clinton County sheriff’s departments.