A Detroit man, Israel Crumpton, has been sentenced to 40 months in prison for drug trafficking. This announcement was made by Acting United States Attorney Julie A. Beck, alongside James Deir, Special Agent in Charge of the Detroit Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.
Crumpton, age 52, led a drug distribution network dealing in heroin laced with fentanyl and crack cocaine. This operation ran during 2018 and 2019 in the East Palmer Street area of Detroit. Crumpton obtained bulk narcotics and then sold them or directed sales to both resellers and users.
In November 2018, the County of Macomb Enforcement Team (COMET) discovered Crumpton's activities. Through surveillance of his operation sites, they observed drug transactions, leading to securing search warrants. They then seized a large cache of drugs, firearms, and over $40,000 in cash from these locations. Crumpton and a co-conspirator faced multiple drug trafficking charges. The co-conspirator pled guilty, while Crumpton was convicted by a jury in May 2024.
Judge Denise Page Hood imposed Crumpton's sentence. "Our office aggressively pursues drug traffickers who push substantial quantities of dangerous drugs like heroin, fentanyl, and crack cocaine into our neighborhoods for personal gain and with indifference to the tragedy they inflict. Thanks to the outstanding teamwork among the Michigan State Police’s County of Macomb Enforcement Team, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and U.S. Attorney’s Office, a dangerous drug trafficker has been removed from our streets," said Acting United States Attorney Julie A. Beck.
Special Agent James Deir further stated, "Israel Crumpton sold a poison in our community out of pure greed, all while armed with illegal firearms. ATF and the Michigan State Police are united in their partnership to identify and target for federal prosecution armed drug traffickers of fentanyl in our community. Mr. Crumpton’s plight should serve as a reminder that accountability is inevitable across Michigan for people who illegally possess firearms in furtherance of peddling poison in our community. The message should be very clear: If you deal deadly drugs while armed with an illegal firearm, you’re not just on our radar – you’re on the fast track to prison; so, pack a bag, we’re coming for you."
This case was investigated by the Michigan State Police’s County of Macomb Enforcement Team and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. AUSAs Pat Martin and Sarah Alsaden prosecuted the case, with AUSA Paul Kuebler also involved in its investigation.