Fentanyl, meth supplier gets 20-year prison sentence

MACON – The supplier to an armed methamphetamine and fentanyl trafficking organization who was providing kilogram quantities of narcotics out of her high-rise Atlanta condominium has been sentenced to serve 20 years in prison.

Heather Marie Breland, 40, of Atlanta, was sentenced to serve 240 months in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release by U.S. District Judge C. Ashley Royal. Breland previously pleaded guilty to one count of aiding and abetting others to possess with intent to distribute more than 50 grams of methamphetamine on Oct. 5, 2023. There is no parole in the federal system.

“Heather Breland enjoyed the trappings of luxury by trafficking in deadly drugs, to include the scourge of fentanyl,” U.S. Attorney Peter D. Leary said in a news release. “Her 20-year federal prison sentence demonstrates the dedication of our federal, state and local law enforcement partners to halting the supply of deadly drugs into our communities and saving lives."

“Violent and dangerous drug traffickers are enriching their lives by profiting off someone else’s pain and addiction,” Robert J. Murphy, special agent in charge of the DEA's Atlanta Division, said. “Heather Breland will now face significant federal prison time for her crime.”

According to court documents and statements made in court, between October 2021 and June 2022, DEA agents and local law enforcement investigated a drug trafficking organization led by co-defendant Raiford Reeves, aka “RH,” 44, of Warner Robins. Breland — the supplier to this DTO — was distributing kilogram quantities of narcotics, primarily methamphetamine and fentanyl, to Reeves out of her condominium located in Atlanta’s Buckhead neighborhood. Law enforcement obtained court orders to intercept the phone calls and text messages from cellphones belonging to Breland and Reeves and conducted controlled purchases of methamphetamine from Reeves. Reeves would supply other co-defendants with some of the narcotics to sell.

Agents observed Breland travel to Macon to provide narcotics to Reeves; she also had a self-storage unit in Macon on Riverside Drive in which she stored drugs. On May 26, agents executed search warrants in Warner Robins, Macon and at Breland’s Atlanta condominium. In her residence, agents seized 3.266 kilograms of pure methamphetamine, 14.72 grams of fentanyl, cocaine, marijuana, a 9mm semi-automatic pistol, a .22 magnum caliber revolver, two cellphones and $78,353 cash. Agents seized eight pounds of marijuana in a Louis Vuitton duffle bag from her Macon storage unit.

Following the searches, Breland fled to North Carolina, created a fictitious license plate and changed her hair length and color. She was arrested by U.S. Marshals on Oct. 20, 2022, at a hotel and casino in Biloxi, Miss. When she was arrested, she had methamphetamine and ID cards with a similar appearance but false identifying information. Breland has seven prior felony convictions for forgery, possession of methamphetamine, burglary and identity fraud. Co-defendant Reeves was sentenced to serve 210 months in prison on May 15, 2024, after he pleaded guilty to one count of distribution of methamphetamine.

This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven and multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Warner Robins Police Department, the Houston County Sheriff’s Office, the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office and the Peach County Sheriff’s Office with assistance from the U.S. Marshals Service. Deputy Criminal Chief Will Keyes is prosecuting the case for the government.