Detroit man pleads guilty for role in federal heroin conspiracy

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – A Detroit man involved with others in distributing heroin in the Huntington area in 2014 and 2015 pleaded guilty today to a federal drug charge, announced United States Attorney Carol Casto. Bradley William McCutchen, 36, entered his guilty plea to possession with intent to distribute 100 grams or more of heroin.

On March 28, 2015, agents with the Drug Enforcement Administration Task Force executed a search warrant at The Sandwich Joint, a restaurant located at 417 12th Street in Huntington. Agents had previously purchased heroin at the restaurant on several occasions. During the search, agents located and seized over 275 grams of heroin from a safe located on the second floor of the restaurant. Agents also seized various items of drug paraphernalia during the search, including packaging material, a digital scale, and multiple bottles of inositol powder, which is commonly used as a cutting agent in the preparation of heroin for distribution. McCutchen admitted that he used the restaurant to store heroin that he supplied to other individuals and distributed himself. McCutchen further admitted that between August 2014 and March 2015, he supplied the owner of the restaurant with heroin that he transported to Huntington from Detroit.

McCutchen faces at least 5 and up to 40 years in federal prison when he is sentenced on October 10, 2017.

The Drug Enforcement Administration Task Force conducted the investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Joseph F. Adams is handling 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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