Columbus man pleads guilty to Federal heroin crime

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – A Columbus man pleaded guilty today to a federal drug crime, announced Acting United States Attorney Carol Casto. Jharel Daivon Kirkland, 27, entered his guilty plea to possession with intent to distribute heroin.

On January 27, 2016, officers with the Huntington Police Department’s Special Emphasis Unit were conducting surveillance at a known drug residence in Huntington when they observed Kirkland enter the residence. Officers learned that the vehicle Kirkland was driving had been stolen in Columbus, and law enforcement conducted a traffic stop when Kirkland left the residence. Kirkland was arrested for possession of a stolen vehicle. During a search of Kirkland after his arrest, an officer located approximately 30 grams of heroin. Kirkland admitted that he intended to distribute the heroin. 

Kirkland faces up to 20 years in federal prison when he is sentenced on September 6, 2016.

The Huntington Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Joseph F. Adams is responsible for the prosecution. The plea hearing was held before Chief United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers.

This case is being prosecuted as part of an ongoing effort led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia to combat the illicit sale and misuse of prescription drugs and heroin. The U.S. Attorney’s Office, joined by federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, is committed to aggressively pursuing and shutting down illegal pill trafficking, eliminating open air drug markets, and curtailing the spread of opiate painkillers and heroin in communities across the Southern District.

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