Today, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced that Cornelius Riley, 44, of Dover, was sentenced on August 26 to 100 months in federal prison for distributing and possessing with the intent to distribute heroin, after being convicted by a jury in May of 2019.
In January of 2018, Riley sold an ounce of heroin to an undercover officer. He then made arrangements to sell an additional 4.5 ounces of heroin to the same undercover officer later that week. On the day of the sale, Riley was arrested at the agreed-upon place, at the agreed-upon time, and with the agreed-upon amount of heroin in the back of his car. Forensic chemical analysis of the substance showed that the heroin was mixed with a deadly fentanyl analogue, furanyl fentanyl.
“The Court’s sentence reflects the seriousness of Mr. Riley’s actions and the harm he posed to society,” said U.S. Attorney Weiss. “Riley was responsible for injecting a large amount of heroin into the Delaware community. His crime was made more dangerous by the fact that the heroin Riley sold was laced with a deadly fentanyl analogue. We will continue to aggressively investigate and prosecute drug dealers, and those who are responsible for selling this poison to the community should expect to face serious punishment.”
David C. Weiss, U.S. Attorney for the District of Delaware, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Richard G. Andrews. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Laura D. Hatcher and Daniel Logan prosecuted the case, which was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration.