September 8, 2015

Detroit Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Leading Huntington Heroin Conspiracy

HUNTINGTON, WV—A Detroit man who led a heroin conspiracy that funneled substantial amounts of heroin into the Huntington area between 2012 and 2014 was sentenced today to 11 years and six months in federal prison, announced United States Attorney Booth Goodwin. Christopher Jermaine Taylor, 30, previously pleaded guilty in federal court in Huntington in February of 2015 to conspiring to distribute 100 grams or more of heroin.

Taylor admitted that between the summer of 2012 to February of 2014, he conspired with others to distribute heroin in the Huntington area. During the conspiracy, shipments of heroin were frequently delivered from Michigan to Huntington at Taylor’s direction. Taylor and his co-conspirators then utilized multiple residences in Huntington as locations from which they prepared, stored and distributed heroin.

At Taylor’s sentencing hearing, the Court imposed enhanced penalties based on Taylor’s leadership role in the conspiracy, his maintenance of a dwelling for the purpose of distributing heroin, and his possession of a firearm during the conspiracy. The Court also found that the organization was responsible for the distribution of over 2 kilograms of heroin in the Huntington area.

Others convicted for their roles in the conspiracy include Bryant Donavan Taylor of Detroit who received 78 months in federal prison, Kenneth D. Bowden of Detroit who received 97 months in federal prison, Robert Lamar Payne of Detroit who received 87 months in federal prison, Derrick Wayne Goodwin of Detroit who received 74 months in federal prison, and Lakeisha Sherrell Williams of Detroit who received 37 months in federal prison. Darius Jerome Perry of Detroit is scheduled to be sentenced on September 28, 2015.

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.