Warren man sentenced to more than 27 years in prison for having heroin and firearms

A Warren man was sentenced to more than 27 years in prison for having a kilogram of heroin and firearms, said U.S. Attorney Justin E. Herdman and Warren Police Chief Eric Merkel.

Ricardo B. McKinney, 32, was sentenced to 327 months after being convicted following a jury trial earlier this year.

“Between the kilo of heroin he had, and the two firearms he possessed despite being a felon, this defendant was a clear danger to the people of Warren,” Herdman said. “Law enforcement worked collaboratively in this case to make Trumbull County a safer place.”

Merkel said: “I would like to thank the Warren Street Crimes Unit for all of the hard work that was put into this case and their dedication to removing from our streets a drug that has killed so many in our city. I would also like to thank the U.S. Attorney's Office for prosecuting this case. This partnership is an essential element in our mission to eliminate drug traffickers from our community.”

A jury convicted McKinney in March on two counts of distribution of heroin, one count of possession with the intent to distribute one kilogram or more of heroin and one count of being a felon in possession of firearms following a weeklong trial.

McKinney sold heroin on two occasions in early 2015. Warren police arrested McKinney on Feb. 25, 2015, with approximately 1657.2 grams of heroin and two handguns. McKinney was prohibited from having a firearm because of prior felony convictions, according to court documents and trial testimony.

Prosecutors are forfeited nearly $30,000 and the two firearms seized as part of the investigation.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Marisa T. Darden and Daniel J. Riedl. The investigation was conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Warren Police Department.