HUNTINGTON, WV—A Detroit man who was found in possession of heroin during execution of a search warrant pleaded guilty today to a federal drug charge, announced U.S. Attorney Booth Goodwin. Anthony M. Barnes, 38, of Detroit, Michigan, entered a guilty plea in federal court in Huntington to possession with intent to distribute heroin.

On April 8, 2014, officers with the Huntington Police Department executed a search warrant at 912 6th Street, Apartment 1A in Huntington. When officers entered the apartment, Barnes was in a bedroom attempting to destroy approximately 18 grams of heroin which officers recovered. Barnes admitted that he intended to sell the heroin in the Huntington area.

Barnes faces up to 20 years in federal prison, and is scheduled to be sentenced on February 23, 2015.

The FBI Huntington Violent Crimes Drug Task Force conducted the investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Joseph F. Adams is in charge of the prosecution.

This case is being 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.