In the fight against heroin there's one less dealer on the street.
"It's great for us. I mean it's great to see that it's being taken serious," Lt. Brian Bahlau of the Tri-County Metro Narcotics Squad said.
A number of agencies have been working together since September 2013 when Kiefer Olger sold heroin to 20-year-old Jonathan Singer. And, the next day, Singer died of an overdose.
"Through undercover operations with Tri-County Metro, along with the investigation from DeWitt City, Clinton County, we were able to buy heroin from the suspect and ultimately get an admission on him providing heroin to the deceased," Lt. Bahlau said.
It's a step he told us they rarely achieve.
Olger was found guilty by a jury in November. And Wednesday, Judge William Collette sentenced him to 18 years behind bars.
"We are going to investigate these. This isn't just something that someone overdoses and dies," Chief Bruce Ferguson of the DeWitt City Police Department said. "We need to start holding these people accountable that do nothing, that make their living, plan this criminal enterprise."
"He sold heroin. I mean people who sell heroin generally sell heroin every single day," Lt. Bahlau added.
It's a conviction Singer's parents are grateful for.
Dan Singer explained, "It's been a long devastating journey and we miss him. He was, you know ,a great young man that unfortunately was dealing with some struggles, some hurts."
Singers parents know they're not the only ones who've lost a child to heroin and hope the epidemic can be stopped.
"I just think the more public awareness has been nothing but help," Singer's Mom said. "If we can save one other child, then it's worth it."
Chief Ferguson added, "We're all victims. And that's what we need people to understand, is that there's no such thing as a victim-less crime, not in these cases."
So, they'll continue to fight for justice and take each dealer to court.
Local narcotics teams deal with overdoses on a daily basis and the arrests are just as common.
Singer's parents told us if parents suspect their kids have a drug problem, they need to talk about it with them and find a place where they can get help.
