Wyoming County, WV man pleads guilty to interstate heroin trafficking

CLARKSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Ryan Hayworth, 21, of Mullens, West Virginia, pled guilty to heroin trafficking today in federal court in Clarksburg, United States Attorney William J. Ihlenfeld, II, announced.
 
Hayworth was among fourteen individuals charged with heroin trafficking when three separate federal indictments disrupted a Michigan to West Virginia heroin trafficking network in February 2016. Specifically, Hayworth sold heroin in March 2015 near West Virginia University in Monongalia County, West Virginia.

Hayworth pled guilty today to one count of “Distribution of Heroin within 1,000 feet of a Protected Location – Aiding and Abetting.” He faces between one and forty years in prison and a fine of up to $2,000,000. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed will be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
 
Assistant U.S. Attorney Zelda Wesley prosecuted the case on behalf of the government. The Mon Metro Drug and Violent Crime Task Force investigated.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael John Aloi presided.