PEORIA, Ill. – A Moline, Illinois, man, Cordero Harris, 34, was sentenced on April 26, 2023, to 240 months in federal prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for possession with intent to distribute heroin, possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking, and possession of a firearm as a felon.
At the sentencing hearing in front of Chief United States District Judge Sara L. Darrow, the government proffered evidence that in January 2021 Harris sold heroin in both Iowa and Illinois. A search of his residence found multiple firearms near heroin. Harris’s fingerprints were on the weapons found at his residence. He was previously convicted of multiple offenses in state court. Harris has been in the custody of the United States Marshals Service since his arrest in January 2021.
Harris faced statutory penalties for possession with intent to distribute heroin of at least five years and up to 20 years’ imprisonment; five years consecutive and up to life imprisonment for possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking; and up to ten years’ imprisonment for possession of a firearm as a felon.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; Moline, Illinois Police Department; Bettendorf, Iowa Police Department; and the Illinois State Police investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Z. Weir represented the government in the prosecution.
The case against Harris is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
