HUNTINGTON, W.Va. - Three men prosecuted as part of Operation Synthetic Opioid Surge (S.O.S.) were sentenced in federal court in Huntington today, announced United States Attorney Mike Stuart.
“We are prosecuting each and every dealer of deadly opiates like heroin and fentanyl," said United States Attorney Mike Stuart. “Vigorous enforcement is critically important in our fight against the opioid epidemic and in our efforts to reduce overdose deaths, and our record in this area is tough, tough, tough. Rest assured, we will continue to do our part in this fight."
In one case, two men from Detroit, Michigan, were sentenced to prison for their role in a federal heroin offense last year. Drevonte Larnielle Patterson, 21, and Christian Vincent Gordon, 22, were each sentenced to 30 months in prison, after both previously pled guilty to possession with intent to distribute heroin. Both were also ordered to serve three years of supervised release upon their release from prison.
Patterson and Gordon previously admitted that on March 15, 2018, officers executed a search warrant at the apartment located at 156 1/2 Sixth Avenue in Huntington. During the search, Patterson and Gordon were found in the bathroom attempting to flush approximately 49 grams of heroin down the toilet. Officers seized the heroin which Patterson and Gordon admitted they intended to distribute. Patterson and Gordon further admitted they distributed heroin from the apartment during the month of March 2018.
Assistant United States Attorney Joseph F. Adams handled the prosecutions.
In a separate case, a Huntington man was sentenced to federal prison for selling fentanyl. Carl Dillow III, 29, was sentenced to 16 months in prison for distribution of fentanyl. Dillow previously admitted that on May 22, 2017, he met a confidential informant at the Adams Landing apartments in Huntington and gave the informant fentanyl in exchange for $70.
Assistant United States Attorney Stephanie S. Taylor is handling the prosecution.
The Huntington Police Department conducted the investigations. United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers imposed the sentences.
These cases were prosecuted as part of Operation Synthetic Opioid Surge (S.O.S.), a focused enforcement effort that seeks to reduce the supply of deadly synthetic opioids in high impact areas.
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Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
