Department of Justice

ROANOKE, Va. – A Roanoke-area heroin dealer, whose product contained fentanyl, was sentenced last week to 126 months in federal prison.

Norman Wayne Harrison, 34, pleaded guilty in February 2023 to one count of distributing heroin and one count of distributing 40 grams or more of fentanyl for conduct that occurred in 2020.

According to court documents, on December 1, 2020, Harrison sold a confidential informant 58.74 grams of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of fentanyl. On December 18, 2020, using a female companion, Harrison sold 3.622 grams of heroin to a different informant. During their investigation, law enforcement ultimately obtained over 250 combined grams of heroin and fentanyl from Harrison.

As a result of these controlled purchases, law enforcement obtained a search warrant for an apartment in Roanoke that was connected to Harrison. On January 29, 2021, they seized four firearms and approximately $55,000 in U.S. Currency. Law enforcement also seized two vehicles belonging to Harrison that were used to facilitate his drug trafficking.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Virginia State Police, and members of the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force (HIDTA), including the Roanoke City, Roanoke County, and Salem Police Departments participated in the investigation.

This case 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.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Coleman Adams prosecuted the case.