Peoria Man Sentenced to 102 Months in Prison for Heroin and Cocaine Trafficking Involving Firearms and for Violating Federal Supervised Release

Peoria, Ill. - A Peoria, Illinois man, Terrance J. Shaw, 43, was sentenced on December 12, 2024, to 102 months in federal prison for heroin and cocaine trafficking offenses involving firearms and for violating the terms of his federal supervised release. His sentence includes a six-year term of supervised release to be served upon completion of his term of confinement.

At the sentencing hearing before U.S. District Judge Jonathan E. Hawley, the government established that in early March 2024, Peoria Police responded to two ShotSpotter alerts of gunfire in the 700 Block of Lasalle Street. Officers located shell casings and focused their investigation on a residence associated with Shaw. At that time, Shaw was on federal supervised release for trafficking crack cocaine and possession of a firearm by a felon. On March 7, 2024, federal agents of the Peoria Area Federal Firearms Task Force and Peoria Police executed a search warrant at Shaw's home. During the search, agents located 82 grams of heroin, 10 grams of cocaine, 312 grams of cannabis, drug packaging materials, digital scales and utensils with cocaine residue, multiple cellphones, a 9mm pistol and ammunition, and an AR-15 rifle with .223 caliber ammunition. Agents also located over $14,000 in U.S. currency in the home.

A criminal complaint was filed against Shaw in March 2024. A federal grand jury returned an indictment on March 19, 2024, charging him with drug trafficking offenses and firearms offenses. In August 2024 he pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute heroin, possession with intent to distribute cocaine, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Shaw also admitted that he had violated the terms of his supervised release by committing the new drug and firearm offenses.

Shaw's total sentence of 102 months is a combination of the terms of imprisonment on the drug trafficking and gun offenses and a term of imprisonment for violating supervised release.

The statutory penalties for possession with intent to distribute the quantities of heroin and cocaine involved in the case are up to 30 years imprisonment, followed by 6 years of supervised release. The penalties for possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime are 5 years to life imprisonment, followed by 2 to 5 years of supervised release. Imprisonment on the firearm count must be served consecutive to the other counts.

The Peoria Area Federal Firearms Task Force, comprised of agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the Peoria Police Department; the Peoria County Sheriff's Department; Illinois Department of Corrections; and the Illinois State Police, investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ronald L. Hanna represented the government in the prosecution.

The case against Shaw 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.