Detroit Native Convicted of Heroin Offense

A Detroit native was convicted by a jury of multiple drug offenses after only an hour of deliberation. Prosecutors in Charme Allen’s Felony Drug Unit obtained convictions against Darius Kavon Watkins, 23, for Facilitation of Possession with Intent to Sell Heroin, Facilitation of Possession with Intent to Sell Oxycodone, and Facilitation of Possession with Intent to Sell Marijuana.

In a two-day trial, ADA Sean McDermott presented evidence that on May 6, 2013, Watkins rented a room at a hotel at the Straw Plains Exit of Interstate 40 so that he and a co-defendant could process heroin, oxycodone, and marijuana to then sell. Police were called to the hotel after guests complained of the odor of marijuana coming from Watkins’ room. Watkins and his co-defendant were not in the room when police arrived, and they ultimately abandoned the room. After checkout time at the hotel had passed, hotel staff entered the room to inventory items left behind. They discovered a large quantity of drugs in a baby wipe container and again called police. Knoxville Police Department Repeat Offender Squad Officer Adam Broome responded and collected 142.7 grams of heroin, 360 oxycodone pills, 95 grams of marijuana, a loaded .40 caliber handgun, and $6,965 in U.S. currency. Ofc. Broome also found digital scales, razor blades, and sandwich baggies used to package heroin for resale.

The co-defendant testified that she had worked with Watkins to sell heroin and oxycodone for several months. She explained how Watkins would obtain heroin from individuals in Detroit and then sell that heroin in Knoxville. She explained how the larger quantity of heroin would be broken down into”points” for resale, that a”point” is one tenth of a gram, and that a”point” sells for $25-30 each. Thus, the street value of the heroin alone was over $35,000. Watkins testified that he had no knowledge of the drugs found in the room and he had no involvement whatsoever.

“We will continue to attack the heroin epidemic head-on,” said DA Allen.”Our streets are flooded with heroin from Detroit, and we continue to see more and more overdose fatalities. My Office will continue to work closely with the hard-working officers in the Repeat Offender Squad and other units to solve this growing problem.”

Judge Green set the case for sentencing on January 29. Watkins is a Range II Multiple Offender who is currently serving a two-to-fifteen year prison sentence in Michigan. His sentence for his Knox County convictions must run consecutive to that Michigan sentence.

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.