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Peoria man convicted on 8 drug, firearm charges while on supervised release

A judge's gavel is shown in a file photo. (Credit: iStock / Getty Images Plus)

PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD) — A 48-year-old Peoria man has been convicted of eight federal charges after drugs, weapons, and proof of drug trafficking were found in his home earlier this year.

Harold U. McGhee appeared in court on Dec. 1 and was found guilty by a federal jury of the following counts:

Prosecutors argued that while McGhee was on supervised release for a 2016 conviction for conspiracy to possess heroin with intent to distribute, officers searched his home, car, and cell phone and discovered evidence leading to these convictions.

In McGhee’s dining room, officers discovered three bags of crack cocaine totaling 177 grams, a bag containing 60 grams of powder cocaine, a digital scale, sandwich bags, and plastic gloves. In the kitchen, officers found 442 grams of methamphetamine, 40 grams of a substance containing heroin, fentanyl, and Xylazine, and another digital scale.

In McGhee’s living room was located $6,770 in cash.

Officers also reported finding other tools of the drug trade including blenders, a cocaine press, and a vacuum sealer.

Under McGhee’s bed, officers found a loaded Glock 9 mm handgun with an extended magazine. The firearm had previously been reported stolen in Evansville, Indiana, in 2019.

McGhee admitted that the drugs belonged to him and that the gun was received as payment from a customer for a sale of several grams of heroin in 2021.

McGhee remains in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service. He faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 25 years and up to life in prison.

Sentencing has been scheduled for March 15, 2023, at the U.S. Courthouse in Peoria.

The case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Peoria Police Department and Drug Enforcement Administration – Springfield Resident Office, with assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the U.S. Marshals Service. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Keith Hollingshead-Cook and Ronald L. Hanna represent the United States in the prosecution.