Three individuals have been sentenced to federal prison for distributing fentanyl and methamphetamine in the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia, U.S. Attorney Matthew L. Harvey announced on Apr. 20.
The sentencing highlights ongoing efforts by law enforcement to address drug trafficking and its impact on community safety in northern West Virginia.
Demarkco Canty, age 23, from Parkville, Maryland, received a sentence of 115 months in prison for his role as a delivery man in a drug trafficking organization led by Sean Jarred Davis of Baltimore. The group was responsible for selling approximately 200,000 lethal doses of fentanyl across Hampshire and Mineral Counties. Davis was previously sentenced to 240 months in December 2024. In total, twenty other defendants connected to the case were convicted and collectively sentenced to 41 years.
In a separate matter, James Shanholtz of Springfield was sentenced to 92 months while Gregory Brian Harrison of Romney received a sentence of 24 months for conspiring with others to distribute methamphetamine within Hampshire County.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Lara Omps-Botteicher prosecuted both cases. Multiple agencies contributed to the investigations including the Potomac Highlands Drug Task Force—a High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area initiative—the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration, state police departments, sheriff’s offices from several counties, and local police departments.
Fentanyl has been designated as a weapon of mass destruction due to its high lethality even at trace levels according to information released during the proceedings. These prosecutions are part of Operation Take Back America which seeks elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations through coordinated Department of Justice resources.
The U.S. Attorney for the Northern District covers federal crimes prosecution and civil litigation management on behalf of the United States according to its official website. The office also promotes community safety through outreach programs across its jurisdiction’s staffed locations—including Wheeling, Clarksburg, Elkins, and Martinsburg—and serves all or parts of thirty-two counties according to official information. Partnerships with federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies are maintained through initiatives such as Project Safe Neighborhoods according to official sources.
