May 4, 2015

Detroit Man Sentenced to More Than Six Years in Federal Heroin Case

HUNTINGTON, WV—A Detroit man who participated in a heroin distribution conspiracy in 2013 was sentenced today to 78 months in federal prison, United States Attorney Booth Goodwin announced. Bryant Donavan Taylor, 36, pleaded guilty in February 2015 to aiding and abetting the possession of 100 grams or more of heroin with the intent to distribute. Chief United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers imposed today’s sentence.

On August 21, 2013, agents with the Huntington Violent Crimes and Drug Task Force executed a search warrant at a residence in the 200 block of 8th Ave. in Huntington. The residence was rented by another man and used by Taylor and others to distribute heroin. During the search, Taylor and two other men were present, and agents seized 134.8 grams of heroin along with various items of drug paraphernalia.

Taylor admitted that he jointly possessed the heroin with a partner for distribution in and around the Huntington area.

The Huntington FBI Drug Task Force conducted the investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Joseph F. Adams handled the prosecution.

This case was prosecuted as part of an ongoing effort led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia to combat the illicit sale and misuse of prescription drugs and heroin. The U.S. Attorney’s Office, joined by federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, is committed to aggressively pursuing and shutting down illegal pill trafficking, eliminating open air drug markets, and curtailing the spread of opiate painkillers and heroin in communities across the Southern District.