HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – A Detroit man was sentenced today to three years and 10 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for possession with intent to distribute heroin.
According to court documents and statements made in court, law enforcement officers were conducting surveillance on a Bernard Street residence in Huntington on July 28, 2021, when they saw Marcellas Cortez Mitchell, 29, leave the residence in a vehicle. Mitchell was driving with a revoked license and officers stopped the vehicle. Upon approaching the vehicle, officers observed a front seat passenger making suspicious movements. A search of the passenger yielded two baggies containing suspected heroin. Mitchell admitted that he had given the passenger the baggies to conceal.
Mitchell pleaded guilty in December 2021 to possession with intent to distribute heroin. The West Virginia State Police Forensic Laboratory tested the contents of the two baggies, and found both contained fentanyl. One contained 6.53 grams of fentanyl and the other contained 9.83 grams of fentanyl.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative efforts of the Huntington Violent Crime and Drug Task Force and the Huntington Police Department.
United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Ryan A. Keefe prosecuted the case.
The case was prosecuted as part of Operation Synthetic Opioid Surge (SOS), an enforcement surge that seeks to reduce the supply of deadly synthetic opioids in high impact areas.
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-00139.
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