Law enforcement caught defendant in a stolen car with drugs
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. - A Columbus man who was caught in a stolen car with heroin was sentenced today to a year and nine months in federal prison, announced United States Attorney Carol Casto. Jharel Daivon Kirkland, 27, previously pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute heroin.
On Jan. 27, 2016, officers with the Huntington Police Department’s Special Emphasis Unit were conducting surveillance at a known drug residence in Huntington when they observed Kirkland enter the residence. Officers learned that the vehicle Kirkland was driving had been stolen in Columbus, and law enforcement conducted a traffic stop when Kirkland left the residence. Kirkland was arrested for possession of a stolen vehicle. During a search of Kirkland after his arrest, an officer located approximately 30 grams of heroin Kirkland had concealed in his underwear. Kirkland admitted that he intended to distribute the heroin.
The Huntington Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Joseph F. Adams handled the prosecution. The sentence was imposed by Chief United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers.
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.
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Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
