Michigan Man Charged with Cocaine and Marijuana Offenses

Steven M. Dettelbach, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio, today announced the filing of a one count federal information against Michael McKerchie, age 45, of Morenci, Michigan. The information charges the defendant with conspiring to possess cocaine and marijuana with intent to distribute. The information alleges that beginning at least as early as 1999, through the date of the information, the defendant was involved in a conspiracy to distribute cocaine and marijuana in the Toledo, Ohio area. If convicted, the defendant’s sentence will be determined by the court after review of factors unique to this case, including the defendant’s prior criminal record, if any, the defendant’s role in the offense and the characteristics of the violation. In all cases, the sentence will not exceed the statutory maximum and in most cases it will be less than the maximum.

The case was accepted and investigated as an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. The OCDETF program divides the country into 13 regions and is designed to insure that the most sophisticated investigative and prosecutive resources are directed against large scale organized drug trafficking ventures.

The information culminates a three-year investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Toledo Police Department. This Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force case is being handled by Assistant United States Attorneys Ava R. Dustin and Joseph R. Wilson, who may be reached at the above telephone number.

An information is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. The burden of proof is always on the government to prove a defendant guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.