Huntington Woman Pleads Guilty to Federal Methamphetamine and Fentanyl Charge

DOJ Press

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. –  A Huntington woman pleaded guilty today to a federal methamphetamine and fentanyl charge. 

According to the plea agreements and statements made in court, Erica Antoinette Kirker, 35, admitted that on April 5, 2021 she possessed approximately 1.2 pounds of methamphetamine, 138 grams of fentanyl, and over $84,000 in cash at her residence on 3rd Avenue in Huntington.  Kirker placed the items in a vehicle and parked the vehicle in a parking garage in downtown Huntington.  Investigators conducted a search of the vehicle on that date and seized the methamphetamine, fentanyl, and cash.  Kirker admitted that she intended to sell the drugs and that the currency constituted proceeds from prior drug sales.   

Kirker pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine and 40 grams or more of fentanyl and faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years and up to life in federal prison when she is sentenced on June 21, 2022.   

United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Southern West Virginia TOC-West Task Force. The Southern West Virginia TOC-West Task Force  consists of the Cabell County Sheriff’s Department, the Hurricane Police Department, and the Marshall University Police Department, with support from the West Virginia State Police, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Violent Crime and Drug Task Force West.  The Ohio Highway Patrol, the Kentucky State Police, and the FBI and DEA in Columbus, Ohio also assisted in the investigation.


United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorneys Joseph F. Adams and Courtney L. Cremeans are handling the prosecution.


The investigation was part of the Department of Justice’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). OCDETF was established in 1982 to conduct comprehensive, multilevel attacks on major drug trafficking and money laundering organizations and is the keystone of the Department of Justice’s drug reduction strategy. Today, OCDETF combines the resources and expertise of its member federal agencies in cooperation with state and local law enforcement. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt, and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking organizations, transnational criminal organizations, and money laundering organizations that present a significant threat to the public safety, economic, or national security of the United States.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:21-cr-00109.

 

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