Drug Trafficker’s Tip Reliable Enough to Uphold 20-Year Sentence

A Chicago drug dealer serving 20 years in federal prison failed to win a new trial by attacking the credibility of the trafficker whose cooperation led to his arrest.

The heroin and cocaine supplier who set up Deandre Cherry was a reliable enough informant for law enforcement to search and arrest Cherry based on his cooperation, a federal appeals court ruled April 8. The supplier was allegedly a member of the dangerous Black P. Stone street gang.

Although the supplier didn’t offer information the Drug Enforcement Administration could independently corroborate ahead of time, the sting operation played out exactly as ...