Detroit Man Sentenced For Role In Huntington Heroin Conspiracy

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – A Detroit man was sentenced today for his participation in a conspiracy to distribute heroin in Huntington, West Virginia announced U.S. Attorney Booth Goodwin.  Steven Edward Lewis, also known as “Rico,” 27, who previously pleaded guilty in July of 2014 to conspiring to distribute 100 grams or more of heroin, was sentenced to five years in federal prison by Chief Judge Robert C. Chambers.

From at least the summer of 2013 to December 31, 2013, Lewis conspired to distribute heroin with Christopher Lamarr-Shawn Harris, Denzell Lamar Bunkley, Jakaiser Wesley Jackson, and Brandon S. Keaton.  Harris recruited Lewis and other co-conspirators to distribute heroin, mostly in the West Huntington area, and frequently arranged for the transportation of heroin from Detroit, Michigan, to Huntington.  Lewis used multiple locations to store, prepare and distribute heroin, including the Red Roof Inn Hotel on Route 60 in Huntington and an apartment at 1416 Jefferson Avenue in West Huntington.  Lewis, Bunkley, Jackson, and Keaton, Harris also recruited local residents to assist with drug distributions.

On December 31, 2013, officers with the Huntington Police Department’s Special Investigations Unit executed a search warrant at the Jefferson Avenue apartment. Officers seized approximately 413 grams of heroin and $12,349 in cash during the search. Officers also arrested Harris, Bunkley, and Lewis who were inside the apartment.

Harris was arrested again on February 20, 2014, in Ohio by the Ohio State Highway Patrol while travelling from Huntington to Detroit. During his arrest, officers seized another $24,930 from Harris.

Harris was arrested for a third time on April 2, 2014, after officers received information that he was selling heroin from the Red Roof Inn in Huntington.  Officers executed a search warrant for two rooms at the hotel and seized approximately 192 grams of heroin and $3,000 in cash. Harris and Jackson, had arranged to bring the heroin from Detroin to Huntington just days prior to the search.

Keaton was sentenced to 15 months in federal prison in July 2014.  Harris was sentenced to 147 months and Bunkley was sentenced to 37 months in federal prison, both on October 6, 2014.  Jackson is scheduled to be sentenced on October 27, 2014.

The Huntington Police Department Special Investigations Unit, the West Virginia State Police, the United States Drug Enforcement Administration, and the United States Marshals Service all participated in the investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Joseph F. Adams handled the prosecution.

This case was brought 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 heroin and prescription drugs. 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 opiates and heroin in communities across the Southern District.