Heroin Conspiracy Dismantled
After an eight-day trial, a Knox County jury convicted Alfred Maron Williams, Eric Martel Abrams, Jamie Paul Click, and Carla Heather Arwood of twelve counts each of Conspiracy to Sell or Deliver Heroin Over 150 Grams in a Drug Free Zone. Williams was also convicted of four counts of Sale or Delivery of Heroin, two counts of Possession with Intent to Sell or Deliver Heroin, Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Dangerous Felony, Unlawful Possession of a Handgun, Tampering with Evidence, Simple Possession, and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. Judge Steve Sword set a sentencing hearing for December 15. The Defendants face a range of punishment from fifteen to sixty years in prison. The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Jennifer Welch and Sean McDermott of the Repeat Offender Prosecution Unit.
The investigation, led by Knoxville Police Department Officer Phil Jinks, uncovered a heroin distribution network that stretched from Knox County to Sevier County. The investigation resulted in the execution of several search warrants and the arrest of nineteen conspirators for their roles in the distribution ring. The State argued the conspiracy was headed by Williams who also directed heroin traffic to Abrams. The State also argued that Click and Arwood purchased heroin from Williams in Knoxville to distribute in Sevier County. Ultimately, the jury convicted all four Defendants as charged on every count.
The District Attorney’s Office would like to thank the Knoxville Police Department, Sevierville Police Department, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, and Federal Bureau of Investigation for their hard work in this investigation.
If you have any questions, please contact Sean McDermott at 865-215-2515 or Sean.McDermott@knoxcounty.org. For more information about the District Attorney’s Office, visit our website at dag.knoxcountytn.gov and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.