Charleston Man Pleads Guilty to Drug Crime

Charleston, W.Va. – A Charleston man pled guilty to a drug crime, announced United States Attorney Mike Stuart. Rahem Lipford, 36,  pled guilty to possession with intent to distribute heroin.

“Heroin and firearms,” said United States Attorney Mike Stuart.  “As long as law enforcement keeps finding drug dealers like Lipford, we’ll keep prosecuting them.”

Lipford admitted that on July 13, 2017, members of the Metropolitan Drug Enforcement Network Team (MDENT), executed a search warrant at his residence and located 24.94 grams of heroin. Lipford admitted to possessing the heroin with the intention of distributing it. Detectives also seized a firearm, which was present inside the residence.   

Lipford faces up to 30 years in prison when sentenced on December 10, 2019. 

MDENT, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and the Drug Enforcement Administration conducted the investigation. Senior United States District Judge John T. Copenhaver, Jr. presided over the hearing.  Assistant United States Attorney Ryan A. Saunders is handling the prosecution.

This case is being prosecuted as part of the Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts.  PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

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