Detroit man pleads guilty to federal heroin crime

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – A Detroit man pleaded guilty today to a federal drug crime, announced United States Attorney Carol Casto. Jimmy Cheatham, also known as “Shoe,” 25, entered his guilty plea to possession with intent to distribute heroin.

On August 16, 2016, Cheatham was arrested on an active federal warrant for conspiracy to distribute heroin. In a search incident to arrest, agents with the Huntington FBI Drug Task Force located approximately 6 grams of heroin concealed on his person. Agents also located approximately $1,800 in cash, which represented the proceeds from heroin sales. The arrest stemmed from an investigation of Cheatham and others which began in 2015.

Cheatham admitted that on August 5, 2015, he sold over 16 grams of heroin to a confidential informant working for the Task Force. The drug deal took place at 1826 Old 16th Street Road, where the informant exchanged $2,000 for the heroin. In a July 9, 2015, search of 126 Olive Street in Huntington, Task Force agents located Cheatham and two of his co-conspirators inside the residence. Agents recovered $6,314 in cash, along with an AR-15 style firearm concealed in the attic.

Cheatham faces up to 20 years in federal prison when he is sentenced on May 1, 2017.

The Huntington FBI Drug Task Force conducted the investigation. Assistant United States Attorney R. Gregory McVey is responsible for the prosecution. Chief United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers presided over the plea hearing.

This case is 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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