SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) A Missouri man has been sentenced to 24 years in federal prison for running a heroin distribution ring that has been tied to at least two overdose deaths.
The Springfield News-Leader reports that 41-year-old Jovan Denson, of Springfield, was sentenced Monday after pleading guilty in March to several felonies. Prosecutors say he ran an operation that brought pounds of heroin to the Springfield area for distribution.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Josephine Stockard had asked for a 30-year prison term, citing the large amount of heroin sold. Stockard said that Denson “deserves to be punished, severely.”
Denson’s attorney, David Mercer, asked for a sentence closer to the 15-year minimum. Judge Stephen Bough said before sentencing Denson to a term of prison greater than what the federal guidelines suggested that “Heroin kills people.”
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