Armed Heroin Dealer Sentenced To Over Five Years In Federal Prison

Jacksonville, Florida – U.S. District Judge Timothy J. Corrigan has sentenced Matthew Barker (34, Jacksonville) to five years and five months in federal prison for distributing heroin and for possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. He pleaded guilty on May 24, 2017.

According to court documents, during July 2016, detectives from the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Drug Enforcement Administration were investigating Barker for selling heroin and firearms in Jacksonville. Task force agents purchased almost 7 grams of heroin mixed with fentanyl for $1,500 and a .40 caliber pistol from Barker. FBI SWAT team members later executed a search warrant at Barker’s home and recovered more than 40 firearms and thousands of rounds of ammunition. All of the firearms and ammunition were forfeited to the government.

This case was investigated by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Drug Enforcement Administration as part of the Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt, and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking and money laundering organizations and those primarily responsible for the nation's drug supply. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Frank Talbot.